Inside Out AU: A New Beginning
by StarNerve
Summary: Sequel to An Emotional School Year. Five years have passed since the Starlights returned. Desiree wants a child but Angus has his qualms. Love is all Sadie needs to stop her own self-destruction. And even after Joy and Felix started going out, they weren't able to make much progress in their relationship. How far will they go to make up for those misspent years? Rated M to be safe.
1. A Brand New Day

**Great, I never thought I'd actually write this. This is the sequel to An Emotional School Year, everyone! I have many qualms in writing this but I figured to just go for it. I know I said I'm done with this fandom, but I decided to give it my last shot. After all, I love Inside Out and I still really appreciate the support I get from those who love my works. It's one of those little things that keep me going.**

 **At some point, there may or may not be suggestive themes so for now I'm keeping it Rated T. Let me know what you think in the end!**

 **Age:**

 **Joy - 27**

 **Felix - 27**

 **Sadie - 25**

 **Angus - 28**

 **Desiree - 27**

* * *

It was a brand new day. The city skyline was crystal clear, allowing rays of summer to shine beneath the stratosphere. A new village was born, ruled over by a humble mayor. And in that village, new families subsided. Empty playgrounds were now filled with frolicking children. Buildings were leased as local shops and restaurants for those who need a break from the busy streets. More and more people occupied vacant homes by the day. Of these families include the mayor's friends whom he had known since his temporary days as a janitor.

The mayor headed straight over to a two-storey house covered in shades of yellow. Knocking on the door, he expected that same sweet face full of excitement to meet the other end.

And there she is.

"Hi, Mr. Mayor!" greeted the girl.

"No need for the formalities, Joy. Mayor Bing Bong is enough," the mayor chuckled.

"I know," Joy laughed. "And come to think of it, I never knew your surname well enough. I am so sorry!"

"Ah, don't worry about that! And look how much you've grown. You look just like your mother!"

"Oh stop," Joy laughed again. "So what's up?"

"Your parents have finally finished the statue of me in the park! Wanna go take a look? Your boyfriend's there." He winked at her.

Joy gasped. She stayed at home so she can finish the interior decorations. "Would I ever! I just finished modeling the house so lead the way."

"Great, then let's go!"

Joy locked the door behind her and follows Bing Bong to the park. "You know I only gasped because of the statue right?"

"Yeah, and your boyfriend being there."

Joy blushed and lightly shoved her friend playfully. "Oh shush! I see him everyday."

Everyone from the village gathered around the park, adoring the statue of their mayor. Joy's and Desiree's mother, Jolie and Diana hosted special activities such as face painting, ring tossing and other games. Sadie looked over at her mother and Angus' mother, Sam and Angie, cooking and serving free hotdogs to anyone in the queue. Angus watched his dad, Andy, and Joy's dad, Jay, proudly as they had just finished building the statue along with a few other workers. Desiree and her father, Desiderio exchanged knowing looks of pride at how well everyone's doing. And Felix couldn't be prouder while standing next to his father, Freddie, as he sat on a wheelchair with Desiderio to keep his spirits up.

Joy and Bing Bong made it in time for the event.

"Glad you all could make it, guys!" the mayor exclaimed. Some of the children, who befriended the mayor, ran over to meet him alongside their parents.

"Hey, everyone! Sorry we're late," Joy greeted. "Wow, that statue looks amazing! I'm so glad they had it built in the middle of town."

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Felix stepped in. Joy giggled at his presence and threw her arms around his neck. The Nerveling rolled his eyes in amusement. He was used to it now. "What kept me waiting?" he teased.

"Oh, just made some final touches to the new home my family and I now live in." Before they could share a kiss, they were interrupted by Desiree, Angus and Sadie.

"Keep it G-Rated, lovebirds. We're in a park," Angus joked. The couple giggled and parted ways hesitantly.

"Joy, finally! Sadie has been dying to try face painting with you. Where have you been?" Desiree nagged.

"Wait, Sadie, you never had your face painted before?!" Joy asked dumbfounded.

Sadie shook her head. "I may be twenty-five but I still cry like a ten year old. What's it like to have your face painted?"

"Seriously? It's fun! You could've tried giving her a few face-painting tips, Felix," Joy sighed exasperatedly.

Felix shrugged. "I would if I knew what that was like."

Joy gasped horridly and turned to the Brickman. "Angus!?"

"Oh, no! Don't even think about it. Last time _she_ painted my face, I looked like a manly fairy godmother," Angus warned while jerking his thumb at Desiree. The Greene simply burst out laughing at the statement.

"Hey, at least you looked manly," Desiree commented in amusement. Angus blushed in defeat.

"Joy, honey, over here!" Jolie called.

"YOU TWO are coming with me." Joy gave a look to Felix and Sadie and dragged them away with her, leaving Angus and Desiree alone.

"I think you should follow them," Freddie suggested between coughs.

"Yeah. They could use some tips," Desiderio added with a wink.

"Sure, dad." Desiree rolled her eyes. "By the way, you did great with the decorations and music."

"I was trained by the best." He glanced over at Diana and waved as she did the same.

"Come on, Des. I want to see what you can turn Felix into," Angus muttered impatiently while trying to drag her with him.

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on, Angerella," she joked.

"Quiet!" he hissed back. "But first, hotdogs. Outta my way, ya little runts!"

Desiree palmed her face. "Ugh..."

* * *

"I can't believe you haven't tried face painting before. What else have you two been missing out on?" Joy asked while caressing a paint-stained finger on Felix's face.

"Face painting, diving, travelling on a yacht; need I say more?"

"You need to experience the thrill of life. For example." She had just finished her face painting and separated their gazes with a mirror. Joy had painted a purple cat-like mask on his face with hints of white and black around the edges of its whiskers and ears. Felix let out a brief shriek of terror before examining his reflection. Joy laughed at his priceless reaction.

"Well, what do you think? Painting a kitty mask on your face really suits your name."

"It's... actually not bad! Have you been doing this for the kids at school?" Felix smirked while tilting his head to look at himself more.

"Only once a month. Some of my former co-workers lent me a hand."

Felix smiled sadly. "Wish I could've been there."

Joy shook her head and kissed his nose. "That was then, this is now." The Nerveling blushed at the sudden gesture but relaxed instantly. Then he turned to his sister., who was having her face painted by Diana. "Hey, Sadie, how do I look?"

Sadie glanced at him and smirked. "Looking good, Felicia."

"Hrrmph!" Felix growled. Joy couldn't stop laughing.

"I see you three are enjoying your face painting session!" Bing Bong said. "Oh, Jolie, when you're done, can I have a turn?"

Jolie snorted. "Of course!"

"And... done!" Diana finished. "Voila!"

Sadie turned to face the couple. Both side of her face had symmetrical swirls that were up to her nose level. There were shades of blue painted across these curvy lines with varying raindrop designs decorated to match the gradient.

"Wow, you look so cute, Sadie!" Joy squealed.

"I'll say," Felix added.

"Hey guys, sorry we're - whoa you guys look great!" Desiree complimented.

"Thanks... I guess," Sadie said.

"Hey, how come Felix gets to look fierce?!" Angus groaned while eating a hotdog.

"Where have _you_ been?" Felix asked while ignoring his comment.

"Angerella kept complaining about the kid in line taking too long to make his order, so Angie had a little argument with him," Desiree answered.

"I was hungry! You can't control an empty stomach," Angus retorted and handed an extra piece. "Hotdog anyone?"

"I get dibs," Sadie answered and took the wiener in her hands.

"I can't believe we're here now. I can only look back at everything we've been through to live the life we have now," Joy sighed with contentment. "We have a new home, a new mayor, our families have reunited, and we have each other! I don't think it can get any more perfect than that."

"Great, now all I'm missing is a boyfriend," Sadie intervened.

"Said boyfriend will have to go through my judgement," Felix quickly added.

"Don't listen to him, Sadie. If you find someone out there who really loves you," Desiree spoke. Angus rolled his eyes at the cliche discussion. "Give me a break..."

"And who doesn't make you cry, then you should go for it. But if he does make you cry, I'll have Angus arrest him for it," Desiree promised.

"I'll give him better than that," Felix growled threateningly. Angus and Joy looked at each other with slight shock.

"Thanks... unfortunately he doesn't exist," Sadie said hopelessly.

"He will... hopefully someone similar at least," Joy said.

"Oh, Joy!" Jolie called.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Mayor Bing Bong has invited us to a night out. Do you guys want to come?" Jolie asked.

"I'm so down! What about you guys?"

"Nah, Angus and I are going out to dinner tonight. We already have a table reserved." Desiree answered. Angus nodded in agreement.

"I gotta take care of my dad... Sorry," Felix answered.

"I'm too tired," Sadie finished.

"Oh..."

"That's okay! If you like, Joy, you can sleep over at Felix's place," Jolie suggested. "We know you won't be as happy to come without your friends."

"You sure you won't mind...?" Joy asked sadly.

"Of course not! We'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow. Until then, stay with Freddie, Felix and Sadie for the night. They could use a little more you." Jolie winked and returned to playing around with the kids.

"Uh, did she just say you're staying with us?" Felix stepped in.

"Yes! I can't wait," Joy squealed.

"Well, we do like it when you come over. Right, Felix?" Sadie teased while nudging her brother's shoulder, who rolled his eyes.

"Can she come over, dad?" he asked. Desiderio pushed the wheelchair next to the young Nerveling.

"Of course," Freddie approved.

Felix shrugged and smiled at the Starlight. "Then I guess it's settled!" Joy jumped with glee.

"Yay!

* * *

 **Well I guess that's Chapter 1 over and done with! More to come soon if it's worthy of continuing. I can' write much for now so this is all I can do in one chapter. I reckon it went alright.**


	2. A Nostalgic Sleepover

**Another chapter; so far so good. I was easily criticized, which was quite unexpected, but that's okay. I know it's pretty dumb to focus on romance, but I'm letting you know now that it won't always be about that. The main idea of this story is certainly love, but not just in a romantic sense. And there will be slightly darker themes, because realistically – life gets harder and many lives get darker. That's the sad truth. Plus a lot of people do have their views on what a 'good story should be like. Writing is a hobby, not my occupation, and I do it to improve. As a critique on Fanfiction once said (not to me though): There's always going to be worse people out there.**

 **Anyways, time to do what I love doing: replying to reviews.**

 **Qoheleth: Hello and thank you for your critique. I know you have your principles on what does and doesn't make a good fanfiction, and I do respect that. You stick by your principles, and I'll stick by the rules of Fanfiction alone. As long as I don't write like someone who doesn't give a care about who reads it despite because of their obvious mistakes. I'm not referring to anyone here though. As for the names, I don't really want to look into their deeper meanings. I do know Felix means lucky or maybe even happy. I just like how these names suit them. However, I'll take it as a way of helping me to become a better writer in the future so I'll consider stuff like that when writing another story when the time comes. Again, thank you.**

 **CNBW: Hello and it's nice to see you again! I'm glad you still stick around the fandom. I'm not sure if it'll be as good as the first, or better, and I'm especially unsure if I can complete it at this stage, but in time the unexpected might hit me in the face and I'll end up finishing it somehow.**

 **HollyAnne1084: Thank you for the review… and pointing out what happened. Hopefully things stay this way for as long as possible. No spoilers, if you know what I mean.**

 **BrickOli: I'm glad to hear that! And it's been** **ages** **since you last reviewed my works. Take care!**

 **Tripledent: I too am glad. I should write more stuff about this actually. I don't want to be too centred on romance.**

 **Happy reading.**

* * *

The local festivities ended just after dusk. Some people stayed to clean the park, the rest went home or elsewhere. Not long after they cleaned, Desiree and Angus bade farewell and went to their reserved restaurant. The mayor, and every parent except Freddie, left to the mansion for their party. Meanwhile, Felix escorted his father to the car and drove them home along with Joy and Sadie.

"Did you enjoy your day, dad?" Felix asked with his gaze darting from the rear-view mirror back to the lit road ahead.

"Oh, it was fun," Freddie answered hazily from the backseat. Sadie was next to him, already asleep and leaning against his arm. "It'd be a lot more fun if I could stand."

"Don't worry, I know you'll get back on your feet again, Mr. Nerveling. I promise!" Joy spoke softly from the front.

"I could only pray for a miracle, Joy. Thank you." He managed to laugh. Felix turned towards the designated driveway and parked just outside their garage. Freddie shook Sadie awake as everyone left the car. Before Felix could help his father on the wheelchair, he tossed the keys to Sadie, who was already heading for the door. Joy couldn't help but admire the view of their home. It looked more modern than their old home. She did miss the small front garden and their classy doorstep. She turned around and helped Felix sit Freddie on the wheelchair.

The moment Joy entered their home, she inhaled the scent of newly-coated paint with a mix of navy blue and lavender. The interior wasn't as big as her home but it had a cozy ring to it. She could smell hints of air fresheners lingering around the hallways, particularly where the bedrooms and bathrooms were. She even saw a vague view of their backyard at the end of the hallway, easily spotting some of the plants she loved to see every time she visited their old home.

"I love it here! You guys really placed a lot of effort into this place," Joy swooned breathlessly.

"It's mostly Felix who did all this. Mom was still in the hospital taking care of dad so she wasn't around to help. I-I didn't really help much," Sadie mumbled.

"Oh come on, Sadie. I'm sure you did loads! And in you saying you didn't help much, you still made some astounding contributions to the place. Be proud of yourself – even if it's just the little things!" Joy replied.

"I guess."

"Alright, make yourself at home. Dad's got to use the bathroom so I better go help him. Help yourself to the leftovers mom made this morning," Felix said before rushing to the restroom.

"Sure. Thanks, Felix!" Joy answered before heading to the kitchen with Sadie. "Whoa, you even got a walk-in pantry! Man, Bing Bong sure knows how to build a home."

"I'm sure yours has one too," Sadie thought.

"Yeah, we do. And a walk-in closet. Ten bucks say Desiree's got one too."

"Lucky… ours doesn't have one."

"That doesn't matter. You still dress good without one!"

"Yeah, right," Sadie groaned.

"No, I'm serious! Who's the girl who can still look adorable without makeup; or look pretty with and without glasses? That's always been you."

"Yeah, and my mom."

"See? You got your beauty from somewhere. So, what's for dinner?"

"Um, I think she made Chicken Kiev."

"Whoa, seriously, she made that from scratch?" Joy asked, her eyes incredulously wide.

"Yeah. I did help her with that," Sadie added.

"Right, where's your cupboard? Because I need to try it ASAP."

As they were setting the table, Felix came to the dining room with Freddie. "We're back. What'd we miss—oh, is that mom and Sadie's Kiev? Nice."

"Yeah, I had no idea you guys could cook like chefs! I can't wait to try it."

"Oh, she got to serve that dish back at our old café while you were in Canada. Unfortunately, Sam became depressed again not long after you and your family came back, so she let Angie and Jolie doo the cooking," Freddie explained. Joy's smile faded slightly. "I really need to try every dish I missed out on."

The four of them settled down. And having said their prayers, they dug in. Joy's eyes couldn't get any wider with what she was eating. "Oh. My. Goodness. I've died and gone to food heaven!"

"You should've seen Felix. He nearly fainted," Sadie giggled.

"And you literally cried," Felix retorted.

"I was thirteen, doofus," Sadie shot back playfully.

"Save the regular squabbles for later," chuckled Freddie. Several minutes went on in silence, sharing awkward glasses and hearing the faint sounds of chewing and glasses clinking.

"Hey, listen, I'm really sorry you never got to go to that party," Joy muttered sadly.

Freddie smiled and flicked his hand. "It's totally fine! After all, there's no place like home." He looked to Sadie. "I learned that from your mom," he whispered, earning a giggle from the young Teardrop.

"You're not at all upset about not going to that party, are you?" Sadie asked her. Joy shook her head. "Of course not! My mom's right. It would've been a lot more fun if you guys came too. I'm happy to go by majority rules as long as I'm with you."

"That's sweet of you, Joy. And you don't need to worry about your parents. They'll be home safely by daylight." Freddie rested his utensils together and backed his wheelchair with a yawn. "Well, I'll go get some shuteye. You three do whatever you want. Just don't make too much noise."

"S-Sure. Wait, I'll help you to your room, dad!" Felix insisted.

"I'll be fine, kiddo. I'll be around the corner from here," Freddie declined.

"Fine. But I'll check on you every ten minutes!" His father simply shook his head in contentment and guided his wheelchair to the bedroom.

"Sleep well, dad," Sadie called. The Nerveling nodded and was immediately out of sight. Joy smiled warmly at the sight.

"You know, Joy," Sadie broke in. "You don't have any sleepwear for tonight."

Joy looked down and realized she was still wearing her blue sundress from earlier. "You're right! I can't sleep with this dress or mom will be upset with me because she ironed it this morning! I can't go home now. It's too dark out!"

Felix stepped in. "I can drive you—"

"No. I don't want to make you or your dad worry. Are there any clothes I can borrow?" Joy asked.

"My size is too small. So is mom's," Sadie answered before nudging her brother's arm.

"Me?! U-Um…" Felix stammered with his face beet red.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you have something for me to wear that's close to my size," Joy pleaded.

"You can always sleep without the dress," Sadie suggested.

"SADIE!" Felix shouted, then covered his mouth at how loud he just sounded.

"Sure. Why not?" Joy said casually.

"What!?"

"Seriously, Felix? You're dating. You need to get used to it," Sadie argued.

Joy raised an eyebrow innocently. "Used to what?"

"A-actually, I might have something for her to wear. Follow me." Felix grabbed Joy's hand and took her as far away from Sadie as possible.

* * *

Desiree and Angus exited the restaurant after paying their tip. Their home was only a block away. Hands were intertwined, revealing rings of emerald and ruby on both fingers. They walked along the brick path, laughing at the memories they shared. Desiree wrapped Angus' blazer around her chest.

"You may be small, but your clothes are actually quite warm," Desiree whispered.

"Hey, how else would I look this hot?" Angus teased.

Desiree rolled her eyes with a smile. "Your seething rage takes it all."

Silence passed and all they could hear was their pacing on the rocks and the sound of chirping crickets. "Say, Angus?"

"What?"

"What's the first thing you think of when I say 'kid'?"

"A nuisance?" Angus quickly answered.

"Right… the second thing?" Desiree continued.

Angus looked at her. "Sadie?"

Desiree snorted. "Sadie?"

"What? I call her 'kid' all the time!" Angus reminded.

"Oh, right. I forgot how cute that is," Desiree chuckled. Then she went on, "The third thing?"

Angus paused for a moment and shook his head. "That, I can't really say."

"Angus…" Desiree began.

"Des, I don't even know if I've got the patience to take care of a kid. I'm not exactly ready for that sort of commitment yet," Angus admitted.

"If you're not ready then why did you want to marry me so soon?" Desiree questioned.

"Because I love you? Look, I'm just not ready at this point okay? End of discussion."

Desiree wanted to ask more questions, but felt as though she was moving too fast. "S-sorry. I was just curious. I didn't mean to go too fast."

"You weren't. We've been married for three years after all." Angus clenched her hand, but not enough to make her wince.

"Exactly. So why can't we try now or as soon as possible?" Desiree wished she'd stop asking these questions. She saw a sudden pain in his eyes, even when he's not looking at her.

"Maybe you should consider the consequences."

Their night went on normally. But in the end, neither of them could sleep, especially Desiree.

* * *

Felix rushed to his closet and opened a few drawers in search of a sweater, or something similar. Joy looked around his room. Like his old room, it looks so… purple, only this time it looked simpler. There weren't as many belongings and there was also a shelf full of psychology books, and some novels he promised to read for later. Next to it was his desk, with a computer that looks unused. And next to the double bed rested his encased guitar.

"Your room looks so organized!" Joy commented.

"It's only been a few days. Give it a week and you'll see a pigsty the next time you visit," huffed a sceptical Felix.

"Really?" Joy joked.

"That's what anxiety does, I guess. You take out your frustrations by tearing the house apart. Ah, here we go!" Felix took out a lavender knit sweater. "I don't wear this often and it might look too big on you, but it'll do."

Joy took the sweater and hugged the soft fabric. It was like touching wool, or a cloud – whatever that feels like – or hugging Sadie. "It's so soft!" she squealed. "Wait, it's summer. I-it'll be too hot."

"That's what the AC is for. Now if I could at least find some pants for you to wear-"

Joy looked worried and shook her head. "It's fine, Felix! I think this is enough."

"I-I don't know…" he stuttered back.

"Hey. Thought you'd escape me for long, didn't you," Sadie said as she entered the room.

"Oh, Sadie, I get to wear this for tonight. It's like one of those couple goals I keep seeing on the internet, where the girl wears her boyfriend's shirts! I don't know why that's such a big deal, but now I get to find out. I'll be right back!" Joy headed for the bathroom, leaving Felix to cringe.

"What's wrong with you?" Sadie wondered.

"Sorry, it just feels… weird when she talks about those 'couple goals' kids write about these days on the internet. They make me cringe."

"You're right about that," Sadie nodded. "But don't act like you don't want to see Joy wearing something of yours."

Felix felt his cheeks burn. "It's not that. I'm just saying we don't need to read those goals when we can discover them ourselves."

"You made your own goals, didn't you?" Sadie deadpanned.

"Indeed I did," Felix took out a clipboard and flipped a few pages. "Which is why I need to be fully prepared in committing myself to her before certain things escalate too quickly."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "You're such a hypocrite."

"Hey, the internet puts everything in disarray. I like to keep myself organized. There are fifteen stages I wrote. Right now I'm on Tier Five: Inviting her to sleep over. At least I feel—hey!" Felix got cut off as Sadie snatched his clipboard.

"'Potential hazards for a sleepover?' There weren't any hazards when she last came over," Sadie recalled.

"That's when we were still in high school! You know, we were young, naïve and still oblivious to worrying about any potential risk factors in the entire household because dad was always there to protect us? Apparently I'm in charge now, and I've got a _lot_ to protect. Not that I'm complaining.

"My entire goal is confidence. I hug her, kiss her, watch movies, have dinner, cuddle, huggle, sleep with her, drive, drink, drink and _not_ drive, travel, propose, get married, go on our honeymoon, have a kid, get old, and die. Those are my goals in a nutshell," Felix explained. "So long as nothing gets in the way, my entire list is completely underway!"

"Like a potential breakup?" Sadie deadpanned.

Felix paled and felt his mind implode. His eyes dilated in horror of the unimaginable and let out a dry shriek. Sadie rolled her eyes nonchalantly. A sense of dread and anxiety flooded his mind, and he snapped. "I didn't think this through! What if she does break up with me?! I can't live with that; I don't even have a backup plan!" He grasped Sadie's shoulders and shook her violently. "She can't break up with me, Sadie! I don't want her to! I—"

"Who said I was breaking up with you?" Joy interjected. Felix released Sadie, who stumbled slightly while adjusting her glasses, and turned to the Starlight.

"N-No one! I-I mean, she did, I mean….erm… uh," he stuttered, obviously tongue-tied. He finally focused on what she was now wearing – it was his sweater! He sighed with relief that it was too big on her. Unlike the way it shaped his slender frame, the sweater hugged her body rather comfortably and reached an inch above her knees. Because it was too big on her, one side of the sweater dangled off her shoulder slightly. Above all, her Persian blue eyes and innocent smile complemented everything he loves about her.

Joy walked towards him. "I love it! It's not itchy at all. Do I look okay?"

He felt himself getting redder by the second whilst averting his gaze from looking any further. "It looks good on you! Er-I mean, you wear it better than me—wait, gah! What I meant to say is…" Sadie and Joy looked to each other and giggled. Felix took a deep breath. "It's cute."

Joy pulled him into a hug. "Aw, thanks! See, that wasn't so hard. So, who wants to watch a movie?"

"I heard Shoes of Doom is on right now," Sadie recalled.

"I don't know. That _is_ a scary movie. I'm not sure a certain _Nerveling_ 's going to like it," Joy giggled deviously as she reached up to stroke the strand of hair sticking out of his head. Frantic, Felix jumped and swatted her hand away.

"Stop that! And I watched that movie long enough to know what happens next. I'm no longer scared of those demonic shoes that look fancy… then creep up on you… and control your feet… and can't be taken off unless someone picks up an axe and then - AH!" Felix shrieked as he felt a sharp poke on his back.

Joy burst out laughing. "Nice one, Sadie."

"These are the little things that make my day," Sadie said to herself before blowing on her finger.

"I'll prove to you I'm not… as scared of it as I used to be. Turn on the TV. I'll check on dad first then join you." Felix exited the room. Joy and Sadie did the same and headed for the living room. Sadie wiggled her finger and Joy leaned to her level as they walked.

She whispered, "He was staring at your legs." Joy snorted in response and struggled to stifle her fit of giggles, but couldn't contain the blush on her cheeks. Sadie kept on smiling knowingly. Joy loved it. She had never seen Sadie so happy in a long time. Not long after, Felix came to the living room in his sleepwear.

The movie was halfway finished when they tuned to it. Unfortunately for Sadie and Joy, Felix was responsible for holding the popcorn and accidentally flipped it over after watching a cliché jump-scare scene. He took advantage of this moment to distract himself and claim he was 'used' to seeing the rest of the movie and even commented on how 'boring' it was, despite their disbelief. Already tired, Sadie kissed her brother goodnight and left to her room. As they kept everything intact in the living room, the couple snuck up on Sadie, who was already sound asleep in an instant.

"I'm glad she doesn't cry herself to sleep anymore," Felix sighed softly. Worried, Joy rested her hand on his shoulder. "I hate it when she feels that way."

"I'm happy for her too," Joy agreed. "We should probably sleep too."

"Good idea."

As they entered Felix's room, Joy thought of something strange. "You know, I noticed Sadie only has a single bed. Why is it you have a double bed?"

"Huh? That's because Bing Bong said that whenever Sadie gets a nightmare, she can sleep with me. Apparently, that doesn't really happen anymore. Unless…" It suddenly dawned to his mind the most obvious reason why Bing Bong _intentionally_ gave him a bed that big. In fact, she was right in front of him. "Oh…"

"What?" Joy asked innocently.

Felix blushed and shook his head. "N-Nothing. After you." Joy smiled and obliged as she sat on the bed. After settling herself in, she caught Felix just standing and staring at her. She smiled shyly. "What?"

"N-Nothing." Felix was lost in a trance. Sure they started dating on a Christmas nearly five years ago, but this is Felix dating her. He was always the shy type and she kept her patience. Before then, she already quit her teaching job from Canada and decided to find a similar one somewhere nearby, which took months. Eventually, she found a teaching job at a local school and easily fit right in thanks to her charisma. Feeling guilty, Felix always used his job as an excuse to go slow with Joy, in fears of rushing in. Then as Bing Bong became the mayor, all the families volunteered to bring his village back to life, which took three years ago today. There was also Angus and Desiree's wedding to attend to a couple of years back, which they helped plan.

Needless to say, they didn't make much progress in _their_ relationship. The most they got to do together were brief make out sessions, which Felix always broke first much to her disappointment. Now, there was no excuse. He knew she had been patient for too long because of his lack of self-esteem and severe anxiety. It was time to help himself. He walked to the other side of the bed and the moment he laid down, Joy rested her head on his chest. Whenever Joy came over, after their relationship began, she never had the opportunity to sleep over. And when she did, Felix would be too busy. Therefore, the feeling felt foreign for both of them. Felix wanted to ask questions, yet his racing heart beat him to it. Joy hummed with pleasure at the feeling.

"You don't have to be anxious of me, you know," she giggled.

"Sorry. It's just… new." He felt himself relax and wrapped an arm around her and caressed her back. Joy squeaked from his touch. "That tickles!"

"Oh, really?" he teased back, but didn't try anything. She was spared for now.

"I kind of realized something." Felix gulped. He knew she was going to talk about this eventually. "We've been together for almost five years already! And not much has happened because of all those events we had to go through."

Felix sighed in defeat. "Look, I'm really sorry. It's really my fault. I kept holding us back. You know how I am with this. I'm not confident enough!"

"Felix, I know you're under a lot of stress. I don't mind waiting because I don't want to do anything you don't want." She leaned upwards to kiss his cheek before laying back on his chest.

He shook his head. "I feel like I should be the one saying that."

"I'll tell you what, we can make up for those lost years starting tomorrow."

"You have work tomorrow," Felix pointed out.

"The day after tomorrow?"

"I'm working that day." Joy looked at him sceptically. "What? I can show you my roster if you want."

"Weekend?"

"Fine by me."

Joy squealed and kissed his chest, causing him to freeze for a moment.. "Yay! Oh, and you're picking me up from work. I want to introduce you to my colleagues!"

"Anything for you." He lifted her chin up to kiss her for a second then reached for the lamp. "G'night, Starlight."

"I love you too… boo," she giggled wearily. _She tried_ , he thought back. As she quickly drifted off to sleep, he reluctantly wrapped his free arm around her while his other hand remained loosely intertwined with hers. Within seconds, he finally relaxed and was in a deep slumber for the night.

* * *

 **They're so awkward with each other right to the end. It's adorable.**

 **I know this chapter was mostly romantic, but don't worry. I've got other ideas too. This story will (and should) also be focusing on the imperfections of these characters. They may have good designs, but they're not exactly perfect. My headcanons for them in this story would be this: Sadie obviously has depression; Felix obviously has anxiety; Angus has PTSD, given his occupation as a sergeant; and Desiree has an eating disorder. These aren't uncommon since anyone could come up with these headcanons for them in any AU, or even in the canon-world being Riley's mind.**

 **Concerning the Truth or Dare, I do not know when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully soon when I get around to it once my break comes around. I've learned to grow out of my past days as an IO writer. I'll take whatever support I get, no matter how small. And I thank those who love and support this story so far.**

 **And seriously, no flames here please. Not here, not on any story in this fandom. If you want me gone for good then go ahead and flame me for all I care. Critiques are different and I can tell. Critiques include correcting grammar and vocabulary errors, making suggestions on how the story should develop, what should and shouldn't have been included, etc.**

 **Finally, I want to keep Author's Notes as short as possible, because that's what's making each chapter so lengthy.**


	3. Going Old School

**Hey, everyone. I'm back with another update. Luckily, this one didn't take too long to write. I've decided to add a bit of humor into this one. But don't get too comfortable, it gets darker later on.**

 **HollyAnne1084: Thank you for your honest review. I have spotted some errors, so thank you for pointing them out. I've seen your update on Down in The Dumps. It's great. I'll keep my word when I say I'll review it when I'm ready. PS: Hope you're doing well, my friend.**

 **CNBW: Aw thanks! And truth be told, they have done it but they never tried it if you know what I mean. The chapter will reveal a bit of it anyway.**

 **Tripledent: At some point they will. Right now, they're still trying to figure things out… unfortunately not with each other.**

 **Fearful Joy: Hmm… your username does ring a few bells. Are you the one who's been writing those short Starnerve stories about a year or two ago? I can't be too sure. But thanks for coming back in another account to review this. I really appreciate it!**

 **Ponystoriesandothers: He-hey, what up? Glad to hear from you again in this archive! Yep, I figured if they can't be shipped as emotions, then might as well for humans. It's going to be a bumpy ride from here. Angus and Desiree are basically the paragon of an old couple, always fighting and disagreeing with each other, but they still love each other in the end. Will Sadie find true love, you ask? Maybe. I can't finalize it yet. I want her to be that independent character who needs no man. But given the artwork I posted, I might reconsider it, if you know what I'm talking about. *winkwonk***

 **Rose Enaid: Brickoli! You changed your name! It heals my soul to find you enjoying this story so far. I'll do my best to update it at my earliest convenience… I'm not an avid Tumblr user, but I only go on it to check on you. Take care!**

 **As you're all aware, I temporarily changed my name to Empty Sadness. I don't know for how long but certainly a while. I will get better. My faith's being tested. Until now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

Felix's eyes slowly fluttered open. Facing the other direction to his bed, he noticed Joy was no longer there. He moaned in confusion and sat up to check the clock. It was already eleven in the morning. He blinked in surprise and jumped out of bed to exit his room.

"Sadie! Where's Joy?" he called. Eventually, he found Sadie in the living room, playing the piano.

"The relationship is failing. She already left you," she answered solemnly while playing a gruesome tune.

"What?!"

Sadie closed her piano and shook her head. "She left four hours ago to see her parents and go to work."

"And you didn't wake me up, WHY!?"

"You already know how that goes."

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

 _When Sadie was thirteen, she shook her brother lightly to wake him up. Startled, Felix jolted up screaming and accidentally slapped Sadie's face, causing her to wail._

 _When Sadie was fifteen, she went to the other side of his bed, where his back faced her, and poked him. Eventually, Felix was still caught up in a dream and swatted his hand from behind, accidentally hitting Sadie's nose and tilting her glasses. Frustrated, she yelled at him to wake up. Angry, Felix sat up and scolded her for ruining his dream about Joy._

 _When Sadie was twenty, she had to wake Felix up early so they could prepare for Christmas. Since she was afraid of getting hit again, she stood past arm's length and poked Felix's nose with a stick. Almost instantly, Felix opened his eyes and slapped the stick to the floor in shock. Because it was long, the stick flew out of Sadie's grasp and scratched her face as it flew upwards. Filled with guilt, Felix immediately rushed towards her to apologize. Luckily, there weren't any marks, but it was painfully visible that she displeased with him._

 _When Sadie was twenty-three, she noticed her brother slept in again. He had to wake up now or he was going to be late. Knowing she can no longer be bothered with him, she took an extra pillow and smashed it on his face. She blankly left the room that day before he could get off at her._

* * *

 _End Flashback_

* * *

"Oh… that."

"Sometimes I wonder why you never wake up to your alarm," Sadie groaned.

Felix scratched his head. "I tend to forget sometimes…"

Freddie came into the room on his wheelchair. "Oh, son, you're awake! I was also asleep when Joy left. Sam's asleep now so you might want to tone down the piano sessions, Sadie."

"Good to know, dad," his son replied.

"I already finished my sessions anyway," Sadie added. "Felix, I got a text from Desiree asking if we could get some ice cream with her and Angus at a local dessert parlour down the street."

"Oh yeah? Tell her we'll meet up in an hour. I still got to make brunch since dad and I woke up late." Felix took out a cutting board and an onion.

"I hope you can make a mean omelette, kiddo, because I am starving," Freddie laughed.

"I hope he can use a knife properly without dropping it," Sadie muttered.

"Uh, thank you, sis, but I'll have you know I've gotten over my fear of knives." The moment he peeled the onion, he felt tears beginning to form. "And I think I've gotten pretty good at cooking."

"You better. Otherwise Joy wouldn't want to marry a—wait are you crying?" Sadie asked.

Felix covered his eyes with his arm. "I'M NOT CRYING. YOU'RE CRYING! Who's chopping onions here?! Oh, that's right, ME!" he said before coughing out a few sobs. "Oh, Joy, why did you leave me without saying goodbye? WHY!"

Freddie snorted and leaned into Sadie's ear. "Is he… always like this?" he whispered.

Sadie kept her gaze on a sudoku puzzle she was now working on. "Nah, he gets sad-drunk when he cuts onions and always cuts himself by accident at some point."

Within seconds, they heard Felix yelp. Startled, Freddie, turned to the kitchen. Sadie placidly still had her eyes on the puzzle.

"Case in point."

* * *

Angus leaned against the glass wall of the dessert parlour, reading a magazine. His wife insisted he left first since she was still getting ready. Felix and Sadie were obviously nowhere in sight. The magazine he read was slightly outdated. In fact, it was released a couple of years ago. It was his favorite, the cover being the best. He was too focused on reading and ignored the incoming footsteps.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Angus." Desiree waved her hand between his face and the magazine he stared at. Angus yelped and immediately closed it and hid it behind his back.

"Oh, hey. That was quick," he stammered lightly.

"Duh. It's not like I'm going to a cocktail party. What'cha got behind your back?" she asked rhetorically.

"Nothi—hey, what gives!?" Before he could lie, Desiree snatched the magazine from his hands. Her heart skipped a beat at what she saw.

"Hey, this magazine contained my last photoshoot," she gasped. "I thought you didn't want me to be a model anymore."

"Well, yeah, I mean I still get sick of all the guys drooling over your body like that. Especially when I'm at work!"

"Is it weird that I find your envy attractive?"

"Is it weird that I find _all_ of you attractive?" Angus retorted. "Obviously I still enjoy looking at your magazines. If anything, I should be the only one who gets to keep them!"

"Huh," Desiree sighed contentedly. "Man I used to look so good here."

Angus cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'used to'?"

Desiree frowned. "Listen, I—"

"Hey, Desiree; hey, Angus!" Felix greeted alongside Sadie.

"FELIX, YOU MORON, DESIREE WAS GOING TO TELL ME SOMETHING!" Angus snapped.

Felix raised his hands up. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know. Is something wrong?"

Feeling the pressure, Desiree shook her head. "Uh, nope, everything's fine! It's something I'll have to discuss with Angus alone."

Felix and Sadie looked at each other with skeptism, but let it go. "Joy couldn't come with us today. She's working," Sadie reminded.

"That's fine, we can catch up with her after. You know, I don't know where she works. Did she say which school?" Desiree asked.

The step-siblings exchanged clueless looks. "Um… no, she didn't tell us. Every time I asked, she would always say it's a secret," Felix answered.

"You could've made her admit it!" Angus said impatiently.

"Like how, genius?" Desiree retorted.

"Obviously by wo—"

"Guys!" Sadie shouted. Everyone turned to the pouting Teardrop.

"Are we having ice cream or not?"

As they were led in, Angus insisted he would pay. While Sadie ordered the vanilla flavor, Felix being the mocha flavor, Desiree simply asked for a small frappe.

"That's all?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, I'm… still on a strict diet."

"You're married now. And you no longer work as a model, so you can stop trying," Angus pointed out. She knew that. She found a better job as a fashionista instead.

"I know, but I like to keep in shape you know," she answered back.

"But, you have lost quite a lot of weight, these past months," Sadie observed. "If anything, I should lay off these extra pounds."

"Oh come on, Sadie, you're not that-" Desiree paused, only to notice Sadie glaring at her. She looked at Angus and Felix, who were behind her. Angus began looking elsewhere while whistling and Felix shook his head harshly. "Never mind. So, Felix, how's your dad?"

"Dad? He's fine. I managed to cook something up for him and mom without almost burning down the house."

"Does that explain the bandaged finger?" Angus pointed out.

Felix looked down on his index finger. "Hehe, yeah."

"He still went sad-drunk like he was in a soap opera when-"

"Sadie," he growled.

"He went what?" Angus asked cluelessly.

"Nothing. Oh, would you look at the time, I got to pick up Joy!"

"But, you don't even know where she works," Desiree reminded.

"She said she'll send me the address." As Felix searched his pockets, his heart nearly stopped. "Where's my phone!? Where is it?! WHERE IS IT!?"

Sadie rolled her eyes and took a familiar object out of her pocket. "In case you forgot."

Felix froze to see his phone in Sadie's hand. "Why didn't you give it to me?"

"Oh, I forgot to give it until you started talking about it. I guess neither of us wins," Sadie answered. Sighing he took the phone and unlocked it to see a message from Joy. Desiree, Angus and Sadie looked over his shoulder.

"This address… It couldn't be!" he gasped.

* * *

Neither of them brought a car. They all simply went on foot, rushing to the said address. There, they finally made it – it was where everything began, the year where it ended. A lot about it has changed, but to them, it all looked the same.

"HQ…" Angus mumbled. "I feel like a kid again."

"It looks so… different," Desiree commented.

"Joy works here…?" Sadie realized.

"Only one way to find out," Felix finished. They walked past the renovated gates and noticed the changes in the school front yard. Sadie remembered that exact spot where she met Joy… after being insulted by Desiree and her former group of 'friends'. Desiree felt the guilt in that school. After stepping a few feet in, she stopped. Sadie noticed and looked back.

"I… I don't…" she stammered. Sadie walked towards her and took her hand.

"It's okay. We're friends now," she reminded. Desiree smiled shyly and let her lead.

"Hey, I remember beating you up here! Ah, good times," Angus sighed.

"You don't seem to have any regrets about bullying me, do you?" Felix deadpanned.

"I do," he answered honestly. "I was just pointing out how much of a jerk I was."

"You're still a jerk," Felix murmured. Angus heard this and stared at him doubtfully. "I-In a good sort of way!" he chuckled in defense.

"Huh. I'll take it."

"I think we should wait for Joy out here. We wouldn't want to interrupt the classes going on in there," Desiree suggested and sat on a nearby picnic table. Sadie nodded and sat beside her.

"Pass. I want to check out the place," Angus declined.

Desiree rolled her eyes. "Right. And to think you wanted to skip school everyday when we were in high school."

"Hey, at least I had two reasons why I came." He began dragging Felix around the building to the backyard.

"Oh yeah? Name one!" Desiree shouted as their distance grew.

"My parents!" When they went out of view, Desiree's smile disappeared.

"Was there something you wanted to tell Angus earlier?" Sadie asked worriedly.

The young Greene sighed. "I'm just worried that if I'm ever going to have a child one day, I want to stay in shape. And I get the feeling that the reason he doesn't want to have a child with me is because I might gain weight."

"What?" Sadie asked incredulously.

"Hey, I know Angus. He's got eyes for the slim and sexy type. If I gain weight then he won't love me as much anymore because I won't be the same 'model' he loved to lay eyes on," Desiree explained.

Sadie looked away, trying to process the entire thing. "I don't think that sounds like Angus at all. He only loves you."

"If he does love me then why doesn't he want to have children with me?"

"I don't know, maybe he's not ready-"

"I've waited two years, Sadie!" Desiree snapped.

"But you do… that, right?" Sadie asked invasively. "You can't have a kid unless… you know what I mean."

Desiree blushed. "Well, duh, we do. But, we never tried for a baby before. That's different."

Sadie blushed at how awkward this conversation was getting. "I'll pretend I never asked… Anyway, whatever it is, I'm sure your weight has nothing to do with it."

"If it's not that then I don't know what else is…" Desiree sighed in defeat. All Sadie could do was stare hopelessly, but deep down she had one hypothesis. Meanwhile, Angus and Felix stood in front of the new soccer field.

"Ah, smell that fresh morning dew," Angus breathed.

"I remember when I used to watch the clouds out here. The tree I loved sitting next to is gone," Felix said sadly.

"Oh—wait, seriously?" Angus recalled exactly where that same tree was. The dirt it once sat on was now replaced with concrete. His heart sank. Felix began to worry.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. That tree was where Des and I carved our initials when we started dating back when we were freshmen," Angus answered.

"Oh… That explains what got me thinking when I first saw it," Felix realized. "Still, it can't just be nothing. That tree symbolized your relationship!"

"Some things are worth letting go, I guess," Angus mumbled.

"A thousand pardons for being intrusive, but your relationship with Desiree isn't too conflicted, is it?" Felix asked nervously.

"We have our ups and downs," he answered, albeit not looking at the Nerveling. "You need to expect that when you marry Joy one day."

Felix sighed. "Duly noted."

"Alright, enough bellyaching. Let's check out the hallway! I hope Principal Raine isn't still ruling the school," Angus exclaimed.

"Oh, I remember her," Felix chuckled as they entered the building. "We should probably tell the girls to meet us inside now."

"Yeah, that would be a good i-"

"Hey look, it's a hairy midget!" called a voice from behind on what may be a student.

Felix's mouth went agape in horror, and Angus turned around with a whole new aura. "Who said that…?"

"Uh oh, I think you triggered him," laughed another student.

"Uh, I think it's best to ignore them, Angus. How about we play good cop, bad cop with the gi—"

"Oh, there's no good cop. There is only," Angus cracked his knuckles and neck. "Bad cop."

From outside, Sadie and Desiree heard the dismissal bell. And within seconds, dozens of students left the building. Desiree smirked. "Oh, look, there's our cue."

"Where are those dweebs?" she added, referring to the boys.

"Ten bucks say Angus is chasing some random students down the hallway," Sadie mumbled.

The moment they opened the door, they suddenly backed away as a a couple of boys ran out screaming, with Angus chasing behind. "YOU ANNOYING PUNKS, YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST FOR INSULTING A POLICE OFFICER!" he roared.

"Huh, go figure. Maybe that's why he doesn't want kids.," Sadie deadpanned. Desiree groaned and palmed her face before walking to her husband. Sadie watched her fetch him and looked back inside. "Where's Felix?"

Said Nerveling tried chasing Angus down, but didn't want to run on the empty hallway. Eventually he was caught in a student traffic. He felt so much taller than most of the students, he lost Angus in the crowd. He gently pushed his way past the other students as they cleared the hall, until he bumped into the teacher he was looking for. He made a step back to prevent himself from falling back as she stumbled against him.

"Joy! Hey," he greeted with surprise.

"Oh, hi, honey! You're early." Joy greeted back sweetly.

"S-sorry, I just need to catch Angus before he gets those kids and makes it look like an accident," Felix muttered frantically.

"Wait, what?!"

"Apparently someone called him a midget and he saw red," he explained sheepishly.

"Oh dear…" Joy followed her boyfriend outside and found Sadie waiting for them.

"Hi, Joy," she greeted casually."

"Hey. Where's Angus?"

"Over there, having a slapfest," she answered metaphorically. They looked ahead and saw Desiree walking towards him with a disappointed Angus.

"He's lucky his mother is a lawyer," Angus grumbled.

"Did you have to swear at him?" Desiree retorted then glanced at the Starlight. "Hey, Joy."

"He started it!" he spat defensively and glanced at Joy. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Angus, I know you're a cop but that doesn't mean you have the right to get back at every kid in school," Joy taught.

"Don't remind me," Angus groaned.

"I'm going to fetch my things. Come with! My colleagues want to meet you." Joy offered.

Sadie shrugged. "I guess."

"Why not," Desiree approved and followed in with Angus.

At the teacher's lounge, Joy came in with her friends to be introduced. Some of the teachers had already dismissed themselves. "Hey, guys! I want you to meet my friends."

"Whoa, I never thought I'd step in here," Angus mumbled.

"I wonder if Mr. Fritz and Ms. Paula still work here," Sadie whispered back.

"Oh, that's quite an interesting bunch you made there," commented one of the teachers.

"Why does the red-haired guy look so short?" murmured another teacher.

"You'd better watch your tongue," Angus grumbled incoherently.

"Hey, is that Desiree Greene from the model magazines?" gasped a young teacher, who nudged at his co-worker. "She looks even hotter in person!"

"Yep! Everyone, this is Desiree," Joy introduced.

"Who is MINE!" Angus interjected angrily. Felix and Sadie looked at each other while trying to stifle their laughter.

"And… this is Angus! He's a sergeant."

"A pleasure to meet you, Angus. My cousin, Jake, is also an officer like you," said one of the male teachers.

"Oh, that guy. Yeah, we were sometimes partnered on weeknight patrols," Angus chuckled.

"And this is Sadie. She's adorable, I love her!" Joy squealed as she leaned down to hug her friend. Some of the teachers were left in awe. Then she went to Felix and hugged his arm.

"And this is my boyfriend, Felix," she finished with a smile. He smiled and waved sheepishly.

"Quite a handsome fellow you are. Your Joy is a hoot! The kids love her," chuckled an elderly teacher. Some of the female teachers even squirmed slightly at the sight.

"Heh, thank you," he muttered shyly.

The rest of the day went on with meeting new faces. Joy introduced her co-workers to her friends, and got along with them well. Eventually, everyone had to leave at some point. Since no one brought their car, Joy happily walked home with the entire group.

"I'm so happy you all came! I thought only Felix was going to pick me up," Joy sighed with delight.

"You kidding? We were all dying to know where you worked. No way are you letting us miss out," Desiree huffed.

"Yeah, the teachers aren't so bad. I'm just glad we never got to see that wench again. What was her name? Hannah," Angus spoke. Everyone groaned with disgust and displeasure.

"Ugh, don't even go there," Desiree gagged. She loathed Hannah after what happened that day, for majority of her high school life.

"She's evil!" Sadie whined. She recalled the day where her brother almost died, which she wasn't able to recover from until his wake.

"I wonder if she got out of juvie," Felix pondered fearfully. He shuddered at that day where he thought he lost Joy.

"If she did then I hope she changed for the better," Joy huffed, not being able to forget the day she thought she lost Felix. Sadie and Angus shook their heads in doubt. Desiree looked away ignorantly. And Felix just looked to the ground in fear.

"We can forget about her. So, what's for dinner, everyone?" Joy asked with returning excitement. Everyone exchanged mixed expressions of confusion, content, and a hint of boredom.

"Well…"

* * *

 **This is all I'm going to share for today. I'm not going to be posting an update for a while, but I will reply to messages when given the chance. Consider it a mini-hiatus. A lot's been going on and I need to redeem myself. Until then, stay tuned for another update.**

 **By the way, I used a Fairly Oddparents reference. Did someone find it? If you did, then have a cookie!**

 **Ah, who am I kidding? Everyone gets a cookie!**

 **Stay safe everyone.**


	4. Keep Bringing Us Down

**Hey, all. This update sort of came out of nowhere. If you guys remembered, I had a different story idea where the Emotions meet the Seven Deadly Sins, who tempt Riley into losing herself and becoming 'inexplicably evil'. Because I don't want to put that story into effect, adopt it if you like, I decided to insert the sins as characters here. That sounds like an overrated idea, but this chapter comes with a purpose. We all have our own battles in life; we just confront different demons. We can either learn to overcome it ourselves, or with the support of our friends and family. They can either invade a part of us, or they could influence us through different forms, aka other people: bullies, enemies, etc – which is the case for these characters in the story. Watch out for names. These characters are minor, so you don't have to worry about them taking over the story… yet. I haven't gotten that far.**

 **HollyAnne1084: Glad you're doing well. Also yes, Angus will never stop being a hothead.**

 **Rose Enaid: Thanks, pal. I hope you enjoy this update.**

 **Ponystoriesandothers: You're back and hate Fridays more than ever. Cheers! Honestly, I wouldn't mind visiting old schools.**

 **WriterofBliss: Oh, hey! It's been a while. Thanks for the review! It may only the beginning but I plan to make some situations go down fast.**

 **Tripledent: He's been a part of the Teardrop Family for too long… it's quite funny. Relationships are great, definitely.**

 **Happy reading! This chapter's about the memory squad working their individual jobs, but not everything's perfect… especially when there are people getting in your way.**

 **Warning, this story now has OC inserts, but were based on darker emotions. Just a heads up because I'm unsure of whether you'll enjoy this or not. Either way, happy reading!**

* * *

The couple of days later, no one stayed at home. While the parents had the entire day to themselves, everyone else kept themselves busy at their current jobs. Of course, there are always people getting in the way.

Desiree had just finished pampering her latest work, her latest model. "You look absolutely gorgeous. Now get out there and set that stage on fire!" she cheered on, watching her client strutting confidently to her next photoshoot.

"Desiree, Desiree, Desiree, when will you ever get back in the spotlight?" asked a rather smooth and suave voice. Desiree rolled her eyes distastefully. The man before her looked to be the paragon of a player. His hair looked playfully messy, with a face that looks too attractive to be normal. He was tall and well-built, and loves exposing his chest. Typical.

Desiree rested her hands on her hips and flipped her hair as she stood. "Shouldn't you be doing her photoshoot right about now? And for your information, I'm happy where I am. At least I don't have to be drooled upon by boys who only go for rotten apples."

"Like your pint-sized husband? What was his name – Angus? Sometimes I wished you redeemed yourself from making the biggest mistake in your life," he shot back pathetically.

"Listen up, Aaron," Desiree spat and slowly inched towards him, while he backed away. "I may not make the right choices, like dating you back in fifth grade, or being played by Little Miss Hubris' lame game, or making Felix and Sadie's lives miserable for goodness' sake, but saying yes to Angus was the BEST damn decision in my life, so you watch that mouth of yours! If I have to work with your sorry butt for the rest of my life then I might as well-!"

"Mr. Everest," called a monotonous voice from a stoic agent. "Your client is ready to begin her photoshoot."

"I'm all fired up," he answered. The woman nodded and drew the curtains back, leaving them alone.

"You're lucky I haven't turned you into a human pretzel," Desiree threatened.

"Do you want to know what I loved the most about this conversation? You said my name." Unperturbed, Aaron took his camera and walked to the curtains, making Desiree growl. "And you were right, boys always go for rotten apples. I mean, given Angus chose you like any other boy would, you must be one hell of a rotten apple." He let out a remorseless chuckle and went through the blackened curtains.

Desiree stared blankly in defeat and looked down at herself. She noticed the changes in her body, at how thin she's been getting lately. She sighed deeply and returned to her desk to ponder.

* * *

Angus and his partner, Jake, had finished another patrol around the past ten blocks. They caught two drivers speeding, with one of them being a drug driver and an alcoholic, while the other was an elder who simply didn't get enough sleep and nearly encountered a fatal crash before the sudden blast of a siren was heard. With the elderly man escorted home safely, the duo brought the suspect back to the police station for further breath testing. As he was being taken away, they went on their break.

"Nothing like a hard day's work of catching drug-drivers, am I right?" Jake swatted his partner's back, causing the Brickman to cough.

"Tell me about it," Angus chuckled.

Suddenly, the doors burst open with a large officer bringing a suspect in. The policeman was bald, and his veins could be seen through his skin. Compared to Angus, the man was as tall as a two-storey brick wall. Of course, that was from the Brickman's perspective. The prisoner he brought said nothing. Not a flinch. It finally dawned to Angus when he walked forward to get a better look at the suspect. He thought, _Good grief, is this man even still conscious?_

"Again, Ira?" asked the woman at the reception.

Everyone gasped as the policeman slammed his fist on the desk. "Don't 'again' me! This man had the nerve to 'accidentally' back up and hit my car and drove off without a single apology?! Do you think that's fair?"

"So, you beat him senseless," the woman guessed blankly.

"Shut the hell up!" Once again, everyone gasped. "Take him. And when he wakes up, alert me at once." Two other co-workers shakily took the man with them. Ira looked around, glaring daggers at everyone before they looked away in fear.

"Take it easy, tiger. A simple warning would've been nice," said another police officer. Ira looked his way and stomped towards him with a fist curled in his hand.

"Oh, I gave that little punk a simple warning, alright. Allow me to give you a demonstration!"

"Leave him!" Angus shouted. He felt regretful at first, but stayed headstrong. Ira cracked his neck and slowly inched towards him. While Angus felt a shadow form over his head, his glare remained unfazed.

"And what chance does a single brick like you have against a ton of bricks like me?" he spat venomously and took Angus by his collar. Despite this, he flashed a nonchalant smirk.

"Easy, if you build a brick wall and one is taken from the bottom, you'll fall." He looked around to find his co-workers chuckling with him. Ira let out a scream and nearly brought a fist to Angus' face until Jake broke them up.

"That's enough roughhousing, boys. We're supposed to be after criminals, not each other," he sternly rebuked.

"Criminals? Ha! I'm looking at one. Next time, it'll be your neck," Ira threatened before storming off. Angus readjusted his collar and huffed. "You should talk, Heinous."

"You alright?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, sure. Don't worry about me," Angus groaned.

"Look, I never told anyone in the force because I fear he'll kill me, but he's the one who remorselessly killed my former partner," Jake whispered. "So yeah, I have every right to worry."

Angus' eyes widened. "What? But when you both came back without him, you blamed it on that gunman!" he hissed.

"That's because he was there. He accidentally shot him, but he took no responsibility for it. Nothing ever seems to weigh on that brute's conscience! So if I were you, I'd keep my guard up. Especially since you're… you know."

"A midget?"

"Yeah…" Jake said awkwardly. "But a tough one at that!"

"Hey, you're pretty short too," Angus chuckled. "But I'll keep that in mind. If he so just hurts anyone I care about, I won't let him live to make the last laugh."

"Test your patience, partner. I don't want you to stoop to his level." Jake looked away for a moment to see if anyone was listening. Thankfully, no one was around to care. He stood up and put his hat back on. "Come on. We have to resume our patrol. With any luck we might cross Cloud Street in time to catch a robber."

"Sounds unlikely," Angus said, given not many crimes happen on said street, then smirked. "I'm in."

* * *

Sadie was inside her laboratory, working on a medicine. It was a casual job she had next to being a doctor, and it was in the same hospital. Unfortunately for her, she was stuck working with the worst colleagues on every shift: Levi Vermillion and Lester Glumenblatt. As she was working on her titrations, she was yet again being distracted by her co-workers.

"Lester, can you please stop eating in my space?" Sadie groaned. "You're going to ruin my titrations."

"Oh so you can ruin my appetite but I can't ruin your pointless experiments? That hardly seems fair," Lester spat. Sadie gagged at the food particles that splattered on her face and flicked them at him.

"You wouldn't know what's fair unless Angus hit you in the face," she deadpanned.

"Quit talking about how great your friends are. It's appalling," Levi interjected.

Sadie gritted her teeth. "Okay, enough! I've had it with you two. Why don't you go make yourselves useful and help me, or go back to your stations and get started with your own formulas? I don't care, just leave me alone!" she snapped.

"I already did half of mine. I'm just having another snack break. You should eat more. Being fit doesn't get you anywhere. You'll have pigs hitting on you and everyone else will think you're a hooker," Lester convinced.

"I agree. At least it'll make me feel better about myself," Levi added.

Sadie slammed her beaker on the table, albeit not hard enough to crack it. She sharply turned towards her female co-worker. "Okay, seriously, what is your problem with me?"

"My problem?" Levi said rhetorically. "You wanna know what my problem is? Oh wait, I already answered that: YOU! You know what stinks about you, Sadie? You have a family that loves you, have friends who care about you, you have a new home and live in a village full of sunshine and happiness, you can get whatever you want, and yet you still act miserable! You're such a crybaby all the time and it sickens me because I should be the one crying – not you!"

"Well, duh she's miserable," Lester intervened. "It's obvious her friends are way better than she is. Her family always gave her what she wanted but they don't always get her. She may live with a bunch of nice-landers, but deep down, she's still feels lonely. A million bucks say she doesn't have a boyfriend either. That's why she overeats and looks the way she does now. Isn't that right, Sadie?"

"You suck!" Sadie coughed out a few sobs and ran out of the room.

"And there she goes, crying for attention again. Pitiful. At least I feel inspired to begin my experiment," Levi huffed. Lester shrugged. "Eh, she deserved to hear the truth. Plus why start it when you can use what she has right here? It's obvious she won't come back for it."

Levi smirked. "Maybe you're right."

Sadie locked herself in her office and sobbed. It lasted for half an hour. To her, it felt like she wasn't needed, despite hearing the desperate calls of her name beyond the closed door. Eventually, someone communicated with her through the microphone.

 _"Sadie, where are you? We have a patient waiting for you."_

Sadie pressed the button, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I'll be there in a sec." She took several tissues and harshly wiped her red face before leaving like nothing happened. She lazily reached her designated meeting room and shut the door, meeting her patient. His hair was brown and ruffled. He had blue streaks that matched his eyes. His cap rested on his lap. And despite having a wrapped arm, his smile remained.

"Sorry I'm late," she said gloomily.

"No pressure. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I should be asking you the same question." She faked a smile and sat on her chair. "My name's Sadie. What seems to be the problem, mister…" Her voice hung in the air, waiting for an answer.

"Oh! Johnathan, Johnathan Jones – but everyone calls me Jojo," he answered. Sadie lifted her head, her dull eyes meeting his lively ones.

Sadie adjusted her glasses. "Hey, you're that band member from P5YCH," she said in slight shock.

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"I-I'm just a fan," she murmured shyly.

Johnathan grinned. "Oh, that's rad! I always thought our band was underrated."

"It is," Sadie admitted. "That's one reason why I like it."

"Whoa, when you put it that way, being underrated is actually pretty cool! You know, I actually panicked when the reception lady said my doctor was on a holiday. Who knew I'd get someone even better!" he exclaimed.

Despite her slight wince, she rolled her eyes amusedly and scooted to her computer. "Yeah, sure. According to your chart of previous injuries, you broke your arm after doing a stage dive. Is that correct?"

Johnathan laughed. "Yeah, that was awesome! It hurt because no one caught me and I hit the ground too fast, but it was worth a try."

"What song did you sing?"

"Oh, it was this little gig we had a few weeks ago in a local bar. We played the songs from our latest album: 'Mindstruck'! Have you heard of it?"

Sadie scooted back to his arm and smiled. Oddly, it wasn't fake. "Only every song. I haven't missed one."

"No way! Ow-ow-ow… Sorry, I got a little too excited," he hissed.

"I know holding still isn't in your vocabulary, but you'll have to try," Sadie chuckled.

He laughed again. "I like you; you're funny!"

"You're quite hilarious yourself. But it's sad your arm doesn't look as humerus as it used to be." She scooted back to set up the X-ray. The boy couldn't stop laughing and the joke she thought boys like him couldn't understand, which caused her to smile and laugh for the first time today.

* * *

"So, just follow these steps and hopefully you'll learn how to fully manage your time effectively. And if things don't seem right, then come back and we'll help sort things out together. And concerning your friend, I seriously recommend you bring her here for an appointment because this is serious. We cannot afford to lose anymore people. It was brave of you to come this far," Felix calmly stated and shook his patient's hand one last time.

"Thank you so much! And I promise I'll tell her." the patient cried before being guided out of the room. As Felix shut the door, he grabbed the nearest paper bag and began breathing in it before slouching back on his chair. _Thank God,_ he thought. Checking his clock, he sighed in relief and returned his belongings in his bag. "Time to pick up Sadie," he said to himself.

However, when he opened the door, he found a girl standing in front of him. Her makeup was heavy, her hair golden, but surprisingly made her even more attractive. And every alluring part of her body seemed unnatural; it made him cringe. He was forced to put up with her flirtatious acts even before Joy returned from Canada. He was relieved she switched jobs for three years, but the last thing he expected was for her to come back for _him._ After all, when she saw him for the first time, he couldn't get any peace. He jumped at the sight of her.

"Oh, it's you," he sighed and rested a hand on his chest as he inhaled deeply.

"Leaving so soon? Because I was thinking we could—"

"Satine," he groaned. "There's _no_ way I'm going out with you."

"Oh, come on, please? It'll just be one date," she pleaded 'innocently'.

Felix gritted his teeth in annoyance and struggled to stay calm. "No. I'm in a happy relationship and I like to keep it that way."

Satine huffed and leaned towards him, forcing him to lean back. "Really? Because by the looks of it, you don't even talk about this girl. You never talk about what she looked like, or her name, or what you _do._ You must have some serious doubts about your relationship."

Felix glared. "I have my reasons, reasons that involve you avoiding my boundaries! And furthermore, I'm having some serious doubts about this job thanks to you," he rephrased. Before he could move out of her way, she grabbed his wrist and pushed him against the wall in his office.

"Oh yeah, why is that?" she asked lowly. Felix twitched, he couldn't get the words out. Back when he was only working for a week with her, all she would do was try to cuddle him or steal a kiss from him. This was different; it made him nauseous. He wanted to faint and wake up somewhere else, as long as it was far away from her. No one witnessed their current situation, much to his horror. He closed his eyes and bravely pushed her away.

"Enough; I will not be treated like this!" He picked up his bag and stormed out of the building. One of the psychiatrists entered the office.

"Did something happen, Ms. Vermillion?" she asked

Satine rolled her eyes. "No, everything's fine."

* * *

Joy had just finished another day of work. Many of her co-workers were already heading out the door. The moment she entered the teacher's lounge, she smiled with gratitude. "Well done, everyone! Another perfect day."

"Um, not everyone did so well, Joy," said one of the teachers. Joy's face fell knowingly. "Did Sloane forget to check the assignments again?"

"She didn't forget… she kind of lent them to you," said one of the male teachers

Joy twitched. "What?" She caught her co-worker already packing his things. "Sloane! You're supposed to be checking these."

"Ugh, too much work. You can take care of it. Maybe that'll get you used to this school. Look, I've been working here longer than you have and I'm telling you I've done a lot to keep my job." Sceptical, Joy looked at her co-workers – some were shaking their heads, others looked away.

"You can't do that! And I don't think your colleagues seem convinced either."

She zipped his bag and strolled out the room. "They will once they learn it the hard way. I'll see you in two weeks!"

"Wha—two weeks?! Where are you going? You haven't worked here for three days!"

"Sorry, I've got other errands to run. Have fun checking!" Within seconds, she was out in a flash. Joy almost chased her down before being stopped by an elderly teacher.

"Listen, it's alright. We can help you check this," she said calmly.

"No, you're not. No one but her is checking these papers! What's with you guys? Why were you all just standing there? Did she do something to you?" Joy asked worriedly.

"Oh it's really nothing—" The elderly teacher was interrupted by young maths instructor.

"Oh, I'll tell you what she does: she blackmails us! She got a lot of people fired in the past two years by either tempting them to take days off or blackmailing them if they threatened to fire her."

"She's right," said a history teacher. "She even got _Principal Raine_ fired. No one knew how it even happened, and she got her fired!"

"What…?"

"Rumor has it she's going to be the principal one day. After our current principal retires by the end of the year, she'll take over the school!" added a home economics teacher.

"We shouldn't even talk about this here. She's watching us!" hissed a science teacher.

"How?" Joy asked. "How on earth did she even get this job!?"

"No one knows. Even for a slacker, she's that good."

"Well I'm not letting her get away with that, nor am I letting her get rid of me! You hear me, Sloane? I'm not afraid of you!" Joy took the papers from her desk and slammed them on Sloane's, making everyone in the room gasp. She snatched her bag and stepped out the room with the same smile on her face. "Well, I'll see you all on Monday!"

Those who stayed shook their heads. "She is so fired," deadpanned a fitness teacher.

"I don't want her gone! We all like having her here," said the elderly art teacher. The other teachers agreed before leaving the building, with Sloane's desk now empty.

* * *

Joy made it home early that evening. It was only four past noon. Her parents greeted her as they always did and handed her a letter. Joy grinned and inhaled it. _Ah… Desiree._ Despite being an excessive texter and selfie-taker, Desiree always loved sending letters to the gang. She peeled the envelope and unfolded the message. "A pool party tonight? I'd love to! Mom, dad, do you guys want to come?"

"Oh, that's okay, sweetie! Your father spent all day making this lasagne casserole." Jolie's voice echoed from the kitchen, followed by an attractive scent. Joy hummed in pleasure and rushed to the dining room.

"Yum! The pool party can wait. I'm having dinner here!"

"Oh and Desiree accidentally slipped Sadie and Felix's letter into our mailbox. Could you deliver it to them when you're done?" Jolie requested.

"Sure!"

"That's my little bundle of joy! Now who wants lasagne?" Jay cheered. The remainder of their meal course was filled with laughter, other than Joy briefly explaining her daily problems at school. After the quick meal, she thanked her parents and went over to the Teardrop-Nerveling residence. Sam answered the door this time.

"Hey Mrs. Teardrop! Are Felix and Sadie home?"

"Oh, yes. We just finished dinner. How are you, dear? Come in! Do you want snacks?" Sam offered sweetly.

"I'm good! Dad made lasagne and I was in Italian Heaven! Where is everyone?"

"Freddie's in the bedroom watching TV, Sadie's probably drawing something in her room and you can hear Felix's guitar from here so he's definitely in his room too."

"Oh, because I received a letter from Desiree and she also sent me the pool party invitations meant for Felix and Sadie. I came here to ask them."

Sam smiled and returned to the bedroom. "Sure, go ahead. I'll tell Freddie, so make yourself at home."

"Thanks, I won't be long!" Joy walked to Felix's doorstep and leaned against the purple wood. She swooned at every note he played, and the faint melody of his voice. She closed her eyes and drifted away to—

"Are you listening to Felix's performance, Joy?"

"AH!" Joy jumped around to find Sadie's stoic frown. "You scared me, Sadie!"

With the sound of dashing footsteps, Felix opened the door. "I heard Joy—AH!"

"AH!" Joy screamed back with both of them standing on either side of her.

"You're just like him now," she chuckled back.

"What're you doing here?" Felix asked.

"Oh! I wanted to give you this invitation letter from Desiree. She's having a pool party this evening," Joy explained and handed the Teardrop their letter.

"Well it is pretty hot tonight. I could go for a swim," Felix approved. "You in, sis?"

"I don't know. I'm a little dubious about the idea."

"Oh come on, Sadie. I'm sure we all had a very busy day. We could use a little R-n'-R!" she pleaded.

The Teardrop sighed in defeat. "I guess."

Joy scooped Sadie in her arms. "Yay! I'll see you there tonight."

"Sure. I think I'll go get changed," muttered Sadie before lazily dragging herself to her room.

"And I'll see _you_ without a shirt later," she teased. Felix flushed awkwardly. "And I'll see you without a…" His attempted flirt turned into speechless stammering and is face burned hotter.

"Wait, what're we talking about?" he said instead. Joy blushed and laughed as she playfully shoved him.

"You're hopeless!" She kissed him a temporary farewell, "Alright, I'll see you there!"

* * *

 **That's all I can write. So, let's get a rundown on the names: Aaron Everest, Satine Vermillion, Levi Vermillion, Lester Glumenblatt (This surname came into my mind for some reason and I keep thinking it belongs to another character. Hmm…), Ira Heinous (Fun fact: Anger's original name was Ira), Sloane Smith (Uh oh, does that surname sound familiar to you?) I only named six, right? Wrong. The seventh was already in that story. I know I'm trying to sound inconspicuous, when really I'm stating the obvious here.**

 **Also, remember the P5YCH band members? I inserted Jordan's Joy into this chapter. I can't finalize whether he'll date Sadie or just stay her friend. I wanted Sadie to be the independent character who needs no man but we'll see for the next few updates. I also added Mind Officer Jake. His partner from the movie...? Sadly, he's gone. And I am NOT giving names for the teachers, especially since they're not that important.**

 **I won't be focusing on them too much. They're all minor characters.** **And if you're wondering: why do people always have to make up stories about the Seven Deadly Sins? What about the Seven Heavenly Virtues? I do have those virtues in this story. They're already in it. We do have these virtues, unfortunately we have trouble channelling them. But ultimately, good triumphs over evil.**

 **The next chapter will be all about that party, and talking about those new characters even further. Can you guess the sin and the virtue?**

 **Starnerve, out.**


	5. If You Mess With One You Mess With Five

**Hey all, I'm back for another update. I apologize for the wait. And it does seem to me that you may not like OC inserts. That's okay because neither do I. I have OCs but I no longer insert them into the alternate universes featuring my favorite shows and movies. Those years are long behind me. Anyways, just a heads up - and I don't receive this recently but it's still worth saying but - If you're going to recommend a story, please do not include it in a review, a short one especially. To me, it's like you're taking advantage of the updates a writer makes just so you can advertise something you or a friend of yours wrote in their review section. Please, if you want to recommend something, then I suggest messaging the author in private. No one wants to feel like their efforts were dismissed for the sake of being asked to read your or someone else's work. I don't ask for much - do you see ME messaging or reviewing you to read and review my stories? No! And if yes then not always, right? I seldom ask for favors because I know no one will read what I suggest most of the time. I hope you know where I'm going with this. But I have promises to keep and stories to review, so don't think I haven't gone back on my word.**

 **Anyway, here are my responses to your reviews:**

 **ponystoriesandothers: Cheers! I've come to a conclusion that Sadie will be independent. Enough said.**

 **HollyAnne1084: It will in the future. I did portray these characters as to how your mind tends to play tricks on you by telling you these things, and loathing them is exactly the response I expected. Even I hate these new antagonists.**

 **Rose Enaid: Yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter then.**

 **Tripledent: Now THAT's a great suggestion, mate. Furthermore, I learned titrations back in high school... they were frustrating and bring out the anxiety in you because you need to get your endpoints spot-on.**

 **One more thing, a big shout-out to remind these beautiful people that the world isn't beaUtiful without U: HollyAnne1084 and Rose Enaid aka Serena. With everlasting love and support, Starnerve and the Inside Out community.**

* * *

Desiree and Angus were in their room getting dressed. Of course, it was only a pool party so there wasn't much to get ready for. Angus was already in his crimson trunks with an unbuttoned leaf-print Hawaiian shirt. He was lost in a trance after Desiree loosened the robe to place a dress over her swimsuit. However, he was back in reality with concern after catching the look on her face. She glanced at him and flashed a shy smile.

"What?" came the innocent question Angus loved to hear. He knew she was always confident in front of others. But when it came to him, she showed him her soft spot. He shook his head contentedly and came over to hug her from behind.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

Desiree relaxed within his touch and huffed, "Nagging, flirting, more nagging, and letting you have this body." Unknown to her, Angus opened his eyes in slight shock at that last word.

"I'm more of a man than you think, Desiree," he argued softly. "I chose _all_ of you."

Desiree's heart raced wildly. She believed him, but those words Aaron mocked against her kept rampaging in her head. "Do you mean that?"

"Always. And look, I know I'm not good at this but, are you okay? You don't seem too thrilled about tonight's party," he interrogated as he gently released her.

Desiree turned around swiftly. "I'm thrilled! Totally thrilled. I'm sorry, Angus, I had a rough day from work and Aaron wouldn't stop bugging me—"

"Aaron, that arsehat punk that tried to take you away from me while I was on vacation back in sixth grade?"

"Yep, that guy. We can talk about this later," said Desiree while adjusting her dress.

"I want to know if he tried to touch you anywhere," Angus growled.

"No, he didn't. If he did I would've hoofed his nuts and run the heck out of the studio looking for you. I can take care of myself, you know," Desiree answered blankly.

"It wouldn't be such a good idea if you ran into Ira on your way to the police station," Angus shot back. Desiree felt her pupils dilate in horror.

"Did you say… Ira?"

"We can talk about this later."

* * *

"Felix, will you hurry up? It only took me five minutes to get dressed. You've been in there for _thirty_ minutes!" Sadie shouted while repeatedly slamming her fist against the door. It wasn't like her to do such a thing.

"I'm having some major insecurities, Sadie. You wouldn't understand!" Felix answered back from the other side. Sadie sneered. "That's it, I'm coming in." She twisted the lock from the outside and busted herself in. He was already dressed, and stood endlessly before the mirror. Felix then jumped and let out a high-pitched screech at her sudden break-in.

Sadie rolled her eyes. "You're such a little girl."

"Thank you, Sadie, I feel more insecure now. And what part of 'a locked door is meant for privacy' don't you understand?" he snarled.

"Having 'major insecurities' isn't reasonable enough. What's the big deal?" Sadie deadpanned while quoting his issue.

"Nothing, it's just, I'm having some low self-esteem issues again – problems with my physique mostly. There are days where I look at myself and think Joy doesn't deserve to date… this," Felix confessed.

"Which is 'this'? You acting like a dork or you looking like a stick?"

"Both! Sadie, Joy and I barely made any progress these past four years. Or was it five…? Anyway, I don't want her to be seen walking around with a stick for a boyfriend; I want to be better than that!"

"So… you want biceps and a six-pack like Angus?" Sadie guessed.

"Please don't compare me to him. The point is, sometimes I wish I was perfect for Joy. I feel like I should be doing better and I'm not doing enough."

"What're you talking about? You _are_ perfect for her. And you're doing way better than you think," Sadie protested.

"Yeah, right. What could I have possibly done to make her believe I'm good enough?"

Sadie sighed. This was getting out of hand. "You always protected her, remember?" Instead of lightening up, Felix's face fell further as he reminisced all those mortifying memories he experienced.

* * *

 _Flashbacks_

* * *

 _Last week, the Starlight family were moving boxes of memories into their new home. Sadie, Felix, came over to help out with the unpacking since they were already finished with hers. Felix froze as he saw Joy with boxes over her head while walking towards a wall. He quickly put down the boxes he held and raced ahead of her until she bumped against him. Joy gasped and tilted sideways._

 _"Oh, hi! Is something wrong?"_

 _"Oh, nothing, you almost hit the wall. H-here, let me help!" Without her approval, he took half of the boxes off her hands and turned around._

 _"Aw, you're such a gentlema—" Joy was cut off with a hiss after seeing Felix bump into the wall and collapsed on the floor, yelping as the boxes escaped his grasp. Jay, Jolie, and Sadie overheard the commotion and poked their heads in the living room._

 _"I'm okay," he said while lazily raising a complementary hand gesture to prove his point. The Starlight giggled and crouched to his level to lift him up._

* * *

 _One summer morning, before Joy left to Canada, the group was out swimming at the beach. Joy stood at the edge of the jetty and prepared for a dive, when she suddenly felt the startling sensation of Felix wrapping his arms around her waist. She blushed and turned her head slightly._

 _"Wait! What're you doing?!" he asked frantically._

 _"Um, about to jump?" Joy chuckled._

 _"Y-You can't – it's too high! What if there are sharks, or jellyfish or sedimentary beach rocks!?" Felix stammered._

 _"But, Felix—"_

 _"Outta my way, ya pansies! I'ma show you what a real dive looks like," Angus stepped in. Within seconds, he bounced off the diving board and screamed with exhilaration until a splash was heard. Instantly, he gasped out of the water and swam to Desiree and Sadie._

 _"See? No harm done," Joy said._

 _"O-oh… of course. You go ahead." He blushed awkwardly and immediately retracted his arms away from her and behind his back. Joy looked away to prevent him from seeing her flattered face._

 _"Hey, I know, why don't you jump with me! We could—Felix?" Upon turning around, she noticed he was no longer there._

* * *

 _It was Christmas, the day after Joy and Felix shared their first kiss under the mistletoe. It's cliché, but it was a beautiful moment. All the girls, except Angie and Desiree, were in the kitchen preparing the Christmas feast. Felix walked in to ask a question when he was stopped by a sharp object swiftly about to guillotine whatever was underneath. Joy was going to cut a lemon, but also had her finger underneath the knife, while facing away to converse with her mother. Everything was in slow motion. Felix screamed and dashed to the bar table._

 _"Felix, what's wrong?" she asked with slight concern._

 _"You," he panted. Afterwards, he regained his posture; his expression was obviously still filled with dread. "You almost cut yourself – with a knife – ON CHRISTMAS DAY!" he cried out hysterically._

 _"Huh?" Joy looked down and gasped. "Oh, so I was. You're so sweet!"_

 _Felix blushed, with his eyes suddenly wandering around, noticing the other women staring and snickering at the scene. The crimson hue only spread across his face until he felt his ears burn. Joy giggled and leaned up to kiss his flushed nose. "Thanks, Rudolph."_

 _The other mothers, and Sadie, gushed in awe. Felix chuckled sheepishly, his face still on fire, and backed away until he exited the room._

* * *

 _Two-and-a-half years after that miraculous Christmas event, the gang went on a shopping spree, despite Angus' and Felix's disagreement. Sadie wasn't up for the idea either. But because of Joy, she no longer minded. While the girls were chattering away at the front, the boys ended up carrying everything from the back._

 _"I'm starting to feel like those user-friendly boyfriends carrying the girl's shopping bags while they're spreading gossip behind my back," Angus grumbled._

 _"I'm just starting to feel like that boy who carries the girl's shopping bags you see in chick flicks," Felix added._

 _"You watch chick flicks?" Angus asked incredulously and groaned. "I don't know you anymore."_

 _"What? No! We had to watch some when we were in grade school. I couldn't stop cringing. All the girls even took advantage of me by making me carry their lunchboxes after recess." He shuddered at the thought of it._

 _"At least they don't stack books on your head. Where was the kid then?"_

 _"Who, Sadie? We didn't meet yet, apparently. It's tough when you have to go through every single day by yourself," Felix sighed._

 _Angus looked away with grief. He couldn't put himself in Felix's shoes. Angus grew up with his wife, and they remained inseparable ever since… most of the time._

 _"But hey, I'm glad I got through all that. I got to meet you, Desiree, Sadie, and," his calm expression soon burst into a full-blown panic. "JOY!" He threw the bags in the air, forcing Angus to catch them as they fell, and sprinted ahead of the girls to stop them._

 _"Felix?" Joy spoke worriedly._

 _"What's wrong?" Desiree asked._

 _"YOU ALMOST STEPPED ON THAT CRACK!"_

 _Joy and Desiree looked down, then at each other, and tittered. Angus was dumbfounded with his mouth agape in confusion and flashed Sadie an 'Is-he-always-like-this?' look, prompting Sadie to shrug and nod blankly. Felix was rendered speechless and mortified, but felt at ease when Joy wrapped her arms around his waist._

 _"Thanks for looking out for me." She gave him a quick kiss and continued moving forward. Desiree and Sadie followed, sharing engaging comments about him. When Angus came to him, he handed him his share of bags._

 _"Now I'm starting to feel like that user-friendly boyfriend with a gossiper for a girlfriend," Felix deadpanned._

 _Angus smirked. "You do?"_

 _Felix flashed him an earnest look, before snorting a crooked smile. "Nah." The two chortled thereafter and finally blended in with the crowd._

* * *

"Oh yeah, how could I forget," he groaned. "She kept laughing at me."

"Only because she likes it when you protect her, even from the little things like a crack or a dive. And there's going to be a lot of that in Desiree's pool so I wouldn't suggest stopping her all the time," Sadie reminded. Felix smiled warmly and offered her an enclosed fist, which she eagerly returned with her own.

"Right back at you. Thanks, sis."

"You 'nerdletes' ready to go?" Freddie intervened.

"Yeah, dad," his son answered.

"I'll see you outside," said Sadie before lazily walking to the front door. Felix was about to follow until Freddie stopped him.

"Son, I heard what you said," he started. "I may not be a love expert, but I do know this: You don't need to change your physical appearance to please Joy. Years ago, I had the same problem with trying to impress your mother. I tried going to the gym and even asked Andy for help. I got sent to the hospital after fracturing my arm from lifting a hundred-pound dumbbell, but Fiona was there and never left, even when I looked like a complete wimp. When I confessed I wanted to please her by gaining some muscle, she confessed she wanted to please me by changing herself too, no glasses, heavy makeup, stuff she thought a man would love.

"But I didn't need any of that, just as she didn't need any of this." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a stitch across his arm. Felix's heart melted and smiled as he went on. "Joy loves you, Felix. You don't have to change anything – not your weight, not your face, nothing. You might think she's perfect, but when you turn your back, you'll realize she's been trying to change herself for you too. And while that may sound flattering, it's your duty to remind her what makes her perfect for you."

"I… I'll try to remember that. Thanks, dad." Felix leaned down to hug Freddie, which was easily returned.

"Oh, and one more thing," Freddie chuckled. "If your sister gets a boyfriend, then let her know what I said."

"If she gets a boyfriend, he'll have to get past me first. We'll be back before midnight! Stay safe," he said before exiting the house. Sam poked her head inside the bathroom and stepped in.

"Was Felix getting anxious again?" she asked.

"Yep. Don't worry, he'll soon realize he doesn't need to try too hard," Freddie chuckled.

Sam rolled her eyes and escorted his wheelchair out of the room. "That's what love does, it makes you do crazy and sometimes stupid things."

* * *

Joy arrived first to the Greene-Brickman residence. She was easily greeted by the couple and escorted to the backyard. It was there she found a 12 x 24 compass pool not far from the veranda. Even from afar, she could smell the chlorine spot the railing, flower boxes next to the fences, the sparkles emanating from the clear blue water, and is that a diving board she saw?

"Whoa, when did you afford this!?" she spoke haltingly.

"Being a former model and current fashionista has its perks. Mom and dad helped too. We use Angus' funds for more important stuff. But otherwise, we share our contributions. How does it look?" Desiree explained.

"It looks awesome, Desiree! It's just what I need to cool off for the night."

"Thanks! Also can I just say that's the first time I've ever seen you in pigtails. If you thought Felix has always has the hots for you then wait till he sees you now. And I see you're wearing that floral lace dress I got you for your birthday last year. I told you it'll go well with even a simple two-piece," she complimented.

Joy flashed a small smile and rubbed her arm awkwardly. "Thanks! I had to wait for the right moment. Where are Sadie and Felix?"

"You called?" Sadie interjected with Felix next to her. Slightly startled, Desiree turned to her husband.

"I let them in," Angus answered.

"Sadie!" Joy squealed and hugged the Teardrop. "Who knew you look so cute in shorts!"

"I do?" Sadie smiled sheepishly. She was wearing a loose shirt, which slid off one of her shoulders, and navy blue shorts.

"Duh! One day, when we go shopping, you're trying some clothes on this time," Desiree promised. Sadie shrugged unsurely.

"Hi, Felix!" Joy greeted with a peck.

"Hey, Jo—whoa! You look… different," he commented, his eyes shifting from top to bottom. His eyes wandered every inch of her. He never saw her wear anything made of lace before. The heat on his face caused him to sweat slightly and pull his collar. "Whew! Is it hot in here, or is it just me? I-I mean you! Agh! I mean-!"

Joy brought a finger to his lips and chortled. "Nope, it's just you," she finished for him, albeit it wasn't the answer he searched for.

"Gah…" he stuttered. Sadie, who was somewhat in between them, watched the moment escalate and snickered to herself. "I love being the third-wheel sometimes."

"Alright, guys, now that everyone's present and accounted for, it's time for another group selfie!" Desiree announced and tossed her phone. "Fetch, stringbean!"

Felix gasped and bounced the object in his hands before trapping it in his grasp. "Wait, you want me to take the picture?"

"Uh, no, I want you to throw it in the pool—of course I mean you!" Desiree spat with slight annoyance when she saw Felix just one step away from throwing her phone in the bin. Joy and Angus glanced at each other and snickered. Felix smirked.

"I'm just kidding. Huddle up, everyone!" Almost everyone followed and Felix adjusted the camera until they could all fit. "Hold up! We're missing a cinnamon roll," he pointed out.

"Sadie, get your fabulous butt in here," Desiree ordered.

Sadie tilted her head. "I have a fabulous butt?"

"Just get in here, kid," Angus commanded. Without warning, Joy grabbed Sadie's arm and pulled her in until she was in the center. The Teardrop let out a shy smile.

"Thanks, Joy," muttered Felix. "Now, everyone say cheese!"

"Pepper Jack!" everyone said instead and froze. After a flash was seen and a click heard, everyone moved to see the picture.

"That's a keeper!" Joy exclaimed.

"I look awful," Sadie commented.

"Shut up, Sadie, you look gorgeous," Desiree corrected.

"I hope I didn't miss anyone." Felix squinted while dragging the picture.

"And speaking of miss, watch me not miss this!" Angus ran over to the edge of the pool and jumped. "CANNONBALL!" he shouted before making a massive splash on the pool.

"I like the way you think!" Joy exclaimed and ran to the diving board. Joy removed her dress and, without making any preparations, she stood at the edge and bounced off, curled into a ball. "Cannonball!" she screamed.

It was only microsecond between Joy revealing her swimwear and being in the water, but Felix couldn't tone down the blush on his face. He returned Desiree's phone. "Eh, what the heck. At least I don't have to jump off a jetty." He took off his shirt and tossed it on the table. He ran over to the edge and jumped with his anterior facing the pool. Unknown to him, Joy inwardly swooned at his half-bare form.

"Bellyflop!" Despite how low the dive level was, everyone hissed at the sound of someone getting slapped to the face in a quiet room. Felix remained floating on the water before slowly submerging. "Why did I do that?" he gurgled as he sank, causing Joy to titter and swim over to his aid.

Desiree removed her dress before she and Sadie walked over to the edge. "I never jumped before," Sadie mumbled.

"It's cool. I understand." Desiree grabbed her hand and pulled her a couple of steps back. "We'll jump together!"

"What?" asked a dumbstruck Sadie.

"One."

"Desiree."

"Two."

"I don't think I can—"

"Three!" Desiree sprinted forward and pulled Sadie with her.

"Wait!" Sadie forcibly synchronized with Desiree's movements and somehow jumped off the edge with her before making a splash. Desiree flipped her tied hair over her face.

"Whew! Wasn't that fun?" Desiree exclaimed.

Sadie rose from the water and frantically swam to the shallow end. "Yeah… thrilling."

"This feels nice," Joy sighed with pleasure

"I can't wait to know the feeling… in a few minutes," winced Felix, whose face and chest is red from hitting the water too hard. Once glance was all it took for Joy to laugh boisterously.

"So, uh, how was everyone's day?" Angus asked awkwardly. Everyone exchanged random looks and answered incoherently.

"Ugh, annoying," Desiree admitted.

"Annoying?" Felix repeated.

"Why?" Joy asked.

"It's this guy named Aaron. He won't stop hitting on me!" Desiree growled.

"Who's Aaron?" Sadie asked.

"Don't ask—"

"Oh I'll tell you who Aaron is," Angus grumbled. "He's a blonde lowlife love rat who thinks he can steal my girl while I'm on vacation!"

"Uh, hello, you and I weren't dating back then," Desiree reminded. "He and I have dated a few times back in grade school, and—"

"Whoa, you dated in grade school? You were too young for that!" Felix scolded.

"I know, I know, I realized that, genius!" Desiree retorted. "That said, one day he met this new rich girl and started hitting on her and left me on the rocks. The worst part was, I kept our relationship a secret from mom and dad until I declared our breakup. He never even kissed me once!"

"So he never loved you," Sadie concluded.

Angus was close to erupting. "OF COURSE NOT! HE'S A TWO-TIMING, BACKSTABBING, THIEVING SON OF A—"

"Easy there, tiger," Felix interjected.

"He loves the hair, and his face. And most of all, he loves the money. When we started working in the same studio, he congratulated me for selling out Mayor Bing Bong's village!"

"That's low," Joy commented.

"Yeah… I still feel awful for letting my parents do such a thing," Desiree sighed resentfully.

"Hey, it's okay. You helped him get it back, remember? There's no reason to feel bad about it anymore, right?" Joy said.

"I suppose you're right. Thanks. What about you, Angus?" she skipped on.

"Not bad," Angus began. "My partner and I caught a couple of speeding drivers. One of them was taken in for a breath test and the other passed out from lack of sleep."

"Yikes," Felix commented.

"It could've been better until Ira brought in another half-dead suspect who barely committed an offense," Angus groaned.

"I-Ira?! You mean that bald, brutal police officer with pentagram tattoo on his head?!" Felix stammered.

"Yeah, him."

"How do you know him?" Sadie asked.

"Um…"

"Everyone knows him," Angus intervened. "He appears on television every time he stops a crime by literally killing everyone, even the innocent! He's got no control over his temper."

Joy shuddered. "No kidding."

"Did he hurt you?" Desiree asked.

"Almost—" Everyone gasped quickly to his answer. "But I'm fine! He didn't hit me. I'll beat him if he tries."

"Angus, you know I get worried over stuff like this," Desiree cried.

"Don't worry. He's not going anywhere near these guns," he said while flaunting the muscle on his arm. "So, kid, how was your day at work?"

"I don't know." Sadie, who was lying down on a floating chair, turned to lie on her stomach. Felix's instincts began to rise. "Sadie… did something happen?"

"It's nothing."

"Sis, you can't lie to me. I was taught by the best," Felix said sternly.

"It's these two co-workers… they keep bullying me."

Everyone gasped in shock.

"Who's bullying you!?" Joy asked disgruntledly.

"Yeah, Sadie, who?!" Desiree added.

"Tell us, kid! You just added a couple of rascals on my Most Wanted list," Angus demanded.

"Guys, really, just let it go," Sadie pleaded.

"Sadie, I am your brother and you know pretty darn well that I CANNOT let this go! Who are these people?" Felix commanded sharply.

Sadie sighed in defeat. "Their names are Lester and Levi. Lester is this fat guy who likes to make fun of my weight—"

Desiree gasped hysterically. "Oh, he did NOT just do that!"

"And this girl, Levi, keeps trying to take away everything I have – all my projects, my stuff, my shifts, everything. She procrastinates by telling me that I'm a nuisance and that I should leave—"

"That's it! I'm going over there tomorrow," Felix snapped.

"They're not working tomorrow. I checked their roster," Sadie recalled.

"Sunday?"

"Nope."

"Monday?"

"Maybe? I mean, I work on Monday."

"Then it's settled! I'm cancelling my shift so I can give those two a piece of my mind." He swam out of the pool and grabbed his phone to remind his boss.

"Felix, please, you don't—"

"Oh, I will. I'm not letting anyone treat you like this, Sadie!" Felix snapped.

"But-!"

"Sadie, we're your friends and we want to protect you. You're very important to us, and to your brother. Well, especially him," Joy cooed.

"I second that, kid. Now, tell me what they look like so when I find them on the street, I'll beat them with my nightstick." Angus leaned closer to her ear. "Even when I'm not working."

"And if you want, I can send a report to the hospital so that they can get them away from you when you work," Joy suggested.

"Or I can simply get in there and punch their sorry faces for you," Desiree added.

"Thanks?" Sadie mumbled, but smiled at their support.

"And, done," Felix said and sat on the ledge of the pool, which everyone else did. "No one's making a punching bag out of my sister."

"Thanks again," Sadie repeated.

"Uh… so, Felix, how was your job today?" Joy asked.

Felix gulped. "Uh… nothing, nothing important!" he chuckled. Everyone shot him sceptical looks.

"Oh please, even you can't fake your way out of this one," Angus groaned.

"Especially you," Desiree added.

"What's wrong?" Joy asked.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But before I tell you, I want you all to know that everything I'm about to tell you doesn't mean anything, okay?" Felix answered.

"Dude, you lost us," Desiree said through the silence.

"There's this girl—" Everyone gasped. "WHAT DID I SAY!?" Felix snapped. Everyone exhaled and remained silent. "Her name's Satine. I started working with her four years ago. She went to a new job for three years and came back a month ago. She's this… this woman who hits on me at work, pretty much like Aaron flirts with Desiree. Only she's after…"

Joy felt herself twitch. "She's after what?"

"She's after… me. Look, I-I don't want to go into the details here. T-the point is, she's… how do I say this delicately?" He snapped his fingers and bit his lip. "She's a tramp," he finally said.

"Ugh, that's literally disgusting," Desiree gagged. "And I thought I was bad since Aaron mostly wants me for my cash. But you? She only wants you for your… Ugh, gross!" she shuddered.

"It's a nightmare, I know. She tried to…"

"Hit on you?" Angus guessed.

"Simply speaking, yes." He looked at an angered Joy. "B-But I ran, I swear! I-I kept trying to tell her I was in love with someone else and she still keeps trying."

"I hate having enemies, but she just became one of them," Joy spoke, obviously infuriated.

"Are you sure you're telling the truth?" Sadie asked sternly.

"Honey, I've never been more candid about anything else in my life," Felix deadpanned. "Even before Joy came back, I had to put up with her by telling her to back off! I love Joy and only Joy. If anyone should be touching me, it's—" He paused and slowly turned around to face his madly blushing girlfriend, who started forming a wide grin. Desiree and Angus snickered. Joy scooted closer to him, her eyes fluttering.

"It's who, sorry?" she whispered amorously with their faces inches apart. Felix's eyes were at its widest, his pupils at its smallest. He closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them with an endearing smile.

"It's you," he cooed confidently and shared a brief kiss with her. Sadie and Desiree swooned at the scene while Angus only smirked wider. As they slowly parted, Joy suddenly pushed him into the water. Everyone stared in surprise while Felix rose from the pool, spitting and coughing out chlorinated water. "What was that for?!" he shouted, shocked but otherwise not mad.

"That's for keeping this from me five years ago," she huffed. He swam over to her. "I'm sorry. I was glad when she left and I thought she'd be gone for good so I forgot about her. Then I realized she came back to continue pursuing me."

"Say, uh, when I don't have work next Thursday, can I come to work with you?" she asked innocently. "I just want to know what this Satine looks like before I 'accidentally' get her in trouble."

"Don't worry, I can protect myself. And besides, if you really want to come to work with me," he grabbed the edge of the pool with both hands and pulled himself up until he was in front of her, finishing, "You'll have to book an appointment."

Before Joy could respond, she yelped as she felt Felix pull her into the pool with him, leaving everyone startled. Joy gasped after resurfacing and splashed water against his face, to which he laughed. "You little sneak!" she cackled.

"Ooohhh!" Angus exclaimed. "Paddle to the medal and give me a high five, dude!" Felix swam over as he was told and slapped Angus' free hand. Desiree rolled her eyes at her husband's lame pun.

"Bold move. Didn't know you had it in you," Sadie commented while paddling the floatie to her brother's side.

"So, Joy, I take it you're the only one who had a decent day?" Desiree chuckled.

"Oh, it could've been better until this lazybum, Sloane gave me the test papers she was supposed to check. Otherwise, my day wasn't so bad," Joy answered.

Sadie blinked. "Who's Sloane?"

"Even her name alone sounds lazy," Angus murmured.

"She is. And it's said that she was the one who got Principal Raine fired," Joy whispered. Everyone gasped simultaneously once again.

"How can a teacher with every lazy bone in her body possibly get a _principal_ fired?!" blurted Felix.

"The heck would I know. She barely comes to work so I don't know her all that well. I slammed her stuff back on her table. There's no way I'm doing her paperwork."

"But, what if she blackmails you? If Sloane can get a principal fired, who knows what she'll do to you if you try to mess with her," Sadie whined.

"I'm not losing my job and she can go stuff it! If I lose my job then I can always find another, but I am not letting those other teachers work in misery for her own benefit. I'll be fine; I can take care of myself," Joy promised. Felix looked sceptical. "Are you sure? Because if you want, I-I could-"

Joy cut him off with a quick brush on the lips. "I'll be fine. I was taught by the best." She winked at him, causing him to smile endearingly. The backyard was filled with brief silence; everyone allowed the tension to leave and were now filled with the relaxation they craved.

"So, who wants to watch a movie?" Desiree suggested. Angus rolled his eyes and walked to her side. "Oh, we'll watch a movie. But first-" Without warning, he shoved Desiree back into the pool. Joy, Sadie and Felix had their hands over their mouths. Desiree resurfaced and spat out the water.

"ANGUS!" she snapped, causing everyone but Angus to flinch, but shot a playful smirk. "You just started a war!"

Angus smirked. "That's the idea, genius." He jumped back into the pool, the impact causing a splash upon Desiree's face. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, the sudden appearance of water guns, and the constant feeling of having water splashed onto your face. Needless to say, it was a great way to redeem the childhood they never got to have.

* * *

 **Well this was kind of a mediocre chapter. And it took a long time to complete. I apologize for any writing errors. I've got errands to run for now so I'll catch you all soon in the next update so stay tuned.**


	6. A New Sensation

**Hey, all, I'm back from my short hiatus with another chapter. I have to warn you though that this contains suggestive themes written outside of my comfort zone. I only permit mature audiences to read this one. There is NO SMUT in this chapter so you can all sigh in relief now. Let's just say, our favorite StarNerve couple is about to get introduced to a new feeling... hence the title. Reply time!**

 **HollyAnne1084: Aww aren't you the sweetest? -hugs- Their co-workers are going to be a pain in their butts in the future.**

 **Jannulast: Hey, there. Yeah, I'm so sorry for your disappointment. I only planned for Desiree to have an eating disorder. She doesn't exactly have it now or it's only just started and she's hesitating to let this happen to her. Don't worry, we're not that far in the roller coaster ride yet so wait till you reach the bigger hills loops and turns then you'll see. Even I don't know what'll happen yet. I'll work on it, and I appreciate your critique.**

 **CNBW: Aww, thanks! He can be charismatic at times... He doesn't need to try. Yeah, about the 'interesting' bit... you might find that here. CX**

 **ponystoriesandothers: Damn straight, my Aussie friend.**

 **Rose Enaid: Thanks so much! I hope you find this update decent at least. -hugs-**

 **Tripledent: Oh, when it comes to Sadie, Felix's confidence levels are at its peak. That, mate, you'll find out soon... I don't know if I can make it work but hopefully I will.**

 **That's all I can give for now. Heed my warning! There is a scene or two I wrote outside of my comfort zone.**

* * *

After an hour has passed from almost never-ending water fight, everyone left the pool with Desiree distributing dry towels for everyone to cool off. Joy and Desiree placed their dresses on; Sadie went to the bathroom to change her clothes; while Felix and Angus took turns to wear their shirts and dry pairs of shorts.

"That was fun! I haven't had a pool party as cool as this since Desiree's seventeenth," laughed Joy.

"I remember that. I was too afraid to jump off a diving board when Angus pushed me," Felix mumbled blankly.

"It was only three feet off the pool, ya wuss. I figured you needed a little push because yours truly was waiting in line!" Angus retorted and threw his towel on the floor. Sadie, who was in the kitchen to grab drinks, stepped outside. With the tray of fruit smoothie glasses in her hands, she wasn't aware of what was before her. She stumbled against the red towel and the glasses were knocked away from her. Sadie yelped and hit the floor. One of the glasses simply tumbled over, spilling the smoothie, the other crashed onto the floor revealing a thick pool of berry mix, and the remaining two glasses were all over someone else.

"Kid! I'm so sorry," Angus yelled as he helped the Teardrop stand. Sadie covered her face, unable to recover from shock. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…" she wept.

"Sadie, it's not your fault," Joy cooed.

"Yeah. Sir Brickhead over here needs to pay attention of where he keeps his things," Desiree said, her voice rising as she flicked her husband's ear.

"Yeah, kid, don't worry about it. I'm sorry and I'll clean this up. Don't step on that spot! I'll be right back," he apologized again. Sadie stared at him for a moment and nodded with a small smile. Angus smiled sadly before returning inside.

"Uh, guys," they heard Felix stutter. "T-Take these glasses b-before I f-fr-freeze."

Staring onto him, everyone gasped with surprise. Felix was covered in a mixture of banana and mango smoothies. Nonetheless, he noticed where Sadie was standing and instantly grabbed her shoulders to pull her away from stepping on the shards of glass. Sadie turned around and used her towel to wipe Felix's face and his already soaked shirt. He had already finished drying himself up before the said incident occurred.

"Felix!" Joy gasped and rushed towards him to collect the glasses.

"I'm so sorry," Sadie mumbled as she continued to wipe him. Felix gently took the towel from her and struggled to dry his hair. Noticing her guilt, he wrapped his nearest arm around her and pulled her to his side.

"It's fine… Given how hot it is tonight, I kind of needed that," he chuckled and glanced down. "Although, I don't feel comfortable wearing a shirt covered in a smoothie."

"I knew you should've brought an extra shirt…" Sadie mumbled.

Angus returned with a broom and dustpan, then noticed Felix. "So that's where the other two smoothies went."

"Don't rub it in," Felix deadpanned in response.

"Sorry, Felix, but you can't wear that shirt while it's still wet. You'll catch a cold," Desiree explained.

"I'll be fine—"

"No you won't."

"Desiree, I don't want to walk home shirtless!" Felix complained.

"No one's going home yet, dorkus. You can stay until our your clothes dry. I'll allow you step into our home without a shirt on so it's fine," Desiree approved.

"Hey, that's my job!" Angus spat.

"It's only for one night, doofus," Desiree argued.

"Fine. But keep your eyes away from anywhere but his face, got it?"

Desiree smirked and pinched his cheek. "You're so cute when you're jealous. Come on, Sadie, let's remake those smoothies," she calmly said and guided the Teardrop back inside.

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" he shouted back as he followed her with the loaded dustpan and broom.

"I don't know…" Felix mumbled shyly while crossing his arms slightly. Joy smiled kindly and stepped in front of him to unbutton his shirt. He felt his heart skip several beats. He remained frozen, allowing her to work her way through his top.

"Hey, it's only for tonight. It's not like you're walking around in your birthday suit or anything," she chuckled, her eyes glancing from his eyes to his chest.

"Joy, don't…" he protested, yet somehow couldn't get the words out. The Starlight lifted her head in response; both of them were lost in a trance. Her blue orbs looked confused, yet innocent in contrast to his focused and somewhat knowing purple ones. Her pure smile widened slightly, awaiting his response, and felt herself leaning closer to him. Her hands made their way through all the buttons of his stained short-sleeved shirt and were now roaming across his bare chest, causing him shudder and bite back a groan. Joy's smiled disappeared slightly and finally closed the gap between them. Felix's body tensed against the kiss like it always would, but somehow relaxed to it.

However, it escalated further.

They both had their fair share of kisses in the past, but this one was different. It normally started out innocent and usually ended quickly, but this one grew fervently. He quickly slid the shirt off his shoulders to wrap his arms around her waist, desperately yearning for her touch, but struggling to prevent himself from roaming his hands around her like she was doing with him. Within that kiss they explored more places they never felt. He heard her sudden moan and broke apart for a millisecond before crashing into each other again. It turned from a simple peck of innocence, to a fervid kiss for dominance. Despite feeling he had taken the lead, Felix realized the situation they were in and gently pulled away. Joy gasped at the new feeling and panted, as did he. Both their faces were heated, hearts beating wildly.

"Wow…" Felix exhaled, obviously dazed from the kiss.

"That was… What was that?" Joy panted, her chest heaving. Felix smirked slightly and looked away, feeling embarrassed yet strangely excited at the new feeling. "It's… a new sensation, I guess," he muttered sheepishly while scratching his head.

"Hey, are you guys coming in or what?" Desiree stepped in, with Sadie and Angus looking from behind. They suddenly froze at the expressions they were given by the couple before them. Desiree smirked. "Ohh… I get it."

"Felix, you sly dog," Angus teased.

"Oh zip it!" Felix retorted with a hand on his bottom lip.

"What happened?" Sadie asked cluelessly.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's watch a movie," Desiree said dismissively and went back in.

"Yeah, kid, it's grown-up stuff. You wouldn't understand." Angus felt a hard punch on the head. "OW! What was that for?!"

"I AM a grown-up, you brickwad!" Sadie argued and punched him lightly once more before stomping back in the house, leaving him dumbstruck by that comeback. Eventually he shook his head out of the trance and followed. Joy and Felix stared at each other for a moment.

"So… after you?" Felix started.

"Oh… thanks. Hey, listen, I-I just want to say I'm… s-sorry for… y-you know," Joy stammered while fiddling with her fingers. She felt the heat return to her face and bit her lip.

"Hey, it's okay. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it," Felix softly assured, his voice calm, but his mind in shambles trying to comprehend what came over him when he continued for her. Joy returned his smile with a shy one and walked inside. Felix took his towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. He then looked down and sighed with relief before entering after her.

* * *

Desiree caught sight of the entering couple and handed them their smoothies. They both thanked her for their drinks and sat on the couch next to Sadie.

"Alright, what're we watching?" Felix asked.

"Oh, let's watch a horror movie! You know, starring that guy with a chainsaw or that doll that comes to life at night and steals your soul," Angus suggested.

"Uh, how about no?" he deadpanned.

"I love angsty movies," Sadie added.

"You're trying to make us watch that movie where the dog dies, aren't you?" Felix whispered.

"That's the idea!" she hissed back

"I think this particular chick flick will do the trick!" Desiree suggested.

"No way in hell," Angus hissed.

"Says the guy who liked _this_ movie," Desiree retorted, revealing the cover of the DVD to everyone.

"I DID NOT ENJOY THAT MOVIE!" Angus denied, his face slightly flushed. Joy and Sadie chortled to themselves.

Felix gave Angus a familiar look, with his mouth agape and an eyebrow raised. "I don't know you anymore," he repeated, his blank expression turning to that of amusement. "I'm just kidding. We watched that on mom's birthday. It was good."

"See? He gets it!"

"Well, what movie are we going to watch? We don't have all night!" Desiree nagged. "Joy, you're the expert. You choose something!"

Joy stood from the couch and crouched down to face the shelf of DVD's. Her eyes glued to a particular movie and took it from the shelf. It had the genres of action, adventure, comedy and drama written all over it. It was also based on a bestseller she once read. "How about this one?"

Desiree took the DVD and scanned it. "Hmm… good choice! I haven't watched this in ages. What do you guys think?" She revealed the cover to everyone, who exchanged looks of approval.

Angus nodded. "Yeah, I can deal with that."

"I guess. There was one scene I liked," Sadie added.

"Sure. Go for it! At least it's not a horror or thriller movie," Felix finished.

"I'll grab the popcorn." Angus lifted himself from the recliner and walked to the kitchen. Desiree nodded and returned to the DVD player to insert the disc.

Sadie sat next to her brother, who was sipping his blueberry smoothie. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm?" Felix turned to her, his eyes widened slightly, then relaxed. "Oh, I'm fine. This towel makes me feel warm now. Warm, but secure. Where's your smoothie?" he answered as he shifted slightly to adjust the cloth around his back.

"Oh, I finished mine already. You know how I love mango milkshake."

"Lucky—Ah!" he hissed. "Brainfreeze!"

Joy sat on the other side of the couch. "You okay, Felix—oh, a blueberry smoothie! Can I try some?"

Felix rolled his eyes playfully and handed his glass to her. In exchange, he took the strawberry smoothie she held. "Hey!"

"Everything comes with a price," he teased and took a light sip on her strawberry smoothie. "Not bad."

Joy sipped his drink and hummed before returning it back. "I like it!" she exclaimed. Felix nodded and took the drink while giving back her drink. Joy took it and snuggled next to him. Her head rested on his shoulder, causing the Nerveling to smile warmly.

Angus jumped back on the couch. "Popcorn's done! Enjoy." Before he could take one, Sadie easily snatched a handful from the bowl. Then she gave a sour look.

"What, no cheese?" she complained.

The Brickman shrugged. "Sorry, kid."

Desiree sat next to him and shook her head when he handed her the bowl. "I'll pass," she declined.

"Hey, lovebirds, you want some?" Angus asked.

"No thanks," Felix answered while carefully chewing the shaved ice in his drink.

"Yes, please!" Joy answered and took the bowl from him to grab a handful of popped kernels. "Thank you!" she finished and passed the bowl back to Angus.

As the movie popped onto the TV, everyone started rambling comments every five minutes – talking about how epic the action scenes were, and how the main character could've gone with a more overt option. Joy loved repeating her favorite lines, much to the group's occasional annoyance. Desiree kept rolling her eyes at many of the little romances going on in the climax of the movie. Angus mimicked the punching sequences from the main characters and the antagonist. Sadie cried at a character death before somehow falling asleep near the end. And Felix made snarky comments about one of the character's bad acting traits. Overall, everyone enjoyed the movie all the same.

"That was awesome! You could really feel the nostalgia," Joy commented.

"It wasn't too bad. But did the girl have to kiss the guy in the middle of the battlefield? Ugh, I wish one of them got shot in the leg or something. That would make things more logical," Desiree added.

"Who cares! Action movies like that are what make me live for my job," Angus continued.

"I can't get over that girl. She was one bad actress," groaned Felix.

"What happened in the end? I fell asleep," Sadie finished.

"The guy gets the girl and drives her off into the sunset chasing their new enemy and leaving us in suspense. Like, duh," Desiree answered.

"I didn't bother seeing the sequel. I heard it got crappy reviews," Angus mumbled. "Don't waste your money on it, kid."

"Hey, I'm going to check if our stuff is dry," Felix interjected and walked outside, with the towel hanging on his arm. Sadie followed him to check on her clothes as well.

"Angus, why don't you go follow them. I want to have a private chat with Joy," Desiree whispered.

"Uh, sure?" The Brickman obeyed his order and went to the backyard.

"So the Starlight has a dark side," Desiree teased.

"What? What do you mean?" Joy asked cluelessly.

"Oh come on, you know what I mean. You literally French-kissed Felix! That's like a huge stride in your relationship," Desiree whispered. "How did it start? What did you feel? What did he feel? I need answers."

"Whoa, slow down, Desiree! I don't want to be pushed when it comes to those sorts of things," Joy pleaded while rubbing her arm nervously. "Long story short, it was… new, and I liked it. But, I don't want to take things too far at this point."

"Joy, please, you two have been together for five years now! Things have to escalate as soon as possible. You can't stay in the same stage forever," Desiree argued calmly.

"I guess I could use some help," Joy muttered. "What was your first 'French kiss' with Angus like?"

"Oh, it was amazing! Enough said," she said excitedly before shooting a poker face.

"But I agree when you said you don't want to take things too far. If he touches you in places that make you feel uncomfortable, then don't hesitate to let him go… and slap him if you can."

"I can't do that!" Joy laughed, taking her suggestion as a joke. "Besides, he didn't do anything. If anything, I made him feel uncomfortable…" she sighed.

"Aw… normally I gross myself out when I say this but that's so cute! He's literally holding himself back for you."

"Really?"

"Totes. All you got to do is give him confidence."

"To be honest, I'm not exactly too confident about this either… Can we talk about this again when the tide flows back?" Joy asked timidly.

Desiree smiled and rested her hand on Joy's shoulder. "Definitely. Just let me know if you need help, okay?" Joy smiled and nodded at her reassurance. "Thanks, Des."

* * *

"You and Joy did what?!" Sadie exclaimed.

"It's a stepping stone! Plus she started it... not that I minded," Felix stated. "But we didn't go anywhere beyond that. I promise."

"But what about your plans?"

"I know!" Felix cried out frantically. "It's like things have gone from Tier Five to Tier TEN. And anything ten and above is way out of my comfort zone!"

"But you _did_ like it, right?" Angus asked, his voice almost teasing.

Felix sneered, but sighed in defeat. "Yeah... but I have my self-control. I don't think we're both ready for... _that,"_ he shuddered at the thought.

"That's understandable," Sadie mumbled.

"Yeah, but hey listen, if you need any help then I'm here. Got it?" Angus promised. "I know you can be a coward when it comes to this sort of thing."

"Thanks for being blunt, Angus. I'll ask for help when I need it," Felix snared as he packed his already dry clothes back in their bag along with Sadie's. He placed his shirt back on. "It's late so I think Sadie and I should go. Mom and Dad are waiting for us."

"Alright, fine. But should anything happen on such a short notice, use this," Angus took out a phone-like two-way radio and tossed it to Felix. He amplified his own and leaned into it. "Testing, Brick to Nerve. Do you copy?"

Felix squinted at the object and sighed at how childish this was getting. He brought the phone to his face. "Nerve to Brick, I hear you. Over." They simultaneously hid their two-way radio phones in their pocket and shook their heads away, smiling.

Sadie glanced at both of them. "And they call _me_ a kid."

"Desiree, we're leaving. Do you want us to walk you home, Joy?" Felix called. Joy raced out to the backyard and locked her arm around Felix's with the other hugging Sadie. "Yes, please!" she quickly answered.

"Oh, alright, well take care on your way back. And text us when you get home!" Desiree commanded.

"Sure," Sadie yawned. Sadie, Felix and Joy bade their farewells to Angus and Desiree and were watched until they were completely out of sight. The couple closed the door behind them and locked it, then turned to each other.

"Well, that was a rather interesting pool party. I'm glad we didn't get any drinks out if you know what I mean," Desiree clued. "Otherwise, we could've torn the house apart; or worse."

"That's fine. We're not always the type who drink. And I hope you weren't staring at Felix throughout the night," Angus warned.

"Hmm... I may have seen his abs," Desiree lied, obviously teasing him.

Eventually Angus caught onto her and smirked deviously. "I see... Liar. He doesn't even have abs," he said lowly.

"He doesn't?" Desiree gasped with false realization. "However, when I almost caught them kissing like that, it only reminded me of our first French kiss."

"You started it, so you're the one who wanted it," Angus grumbled.

"And you finished it, so you're the one who wanted it _more_ ," she shot back.

"Give me a break," Angus groaned. "Next time, we're not letting another man walk around this house shirtless! Got it?"

Desiree rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Naughty me for making an exception. We have a pool, genius, and we only invite our friends and families over."

"Fine. But our bedroom is off limits!"

"Of course it's off limits. I know our boundaries. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower."

Angus grumbled impatiently. "I wanted to go first but-"

"Sorry, allow me to rephrase that: _we_ need a shower, so you're coming, Handsome," Desiree teased as she swayed her hips towards the bathroom, leaving Angus with a heated straight face. He shook his head and smirked deviously. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

On the way home, Felix held their bag in place with one hand, with the other intertwined with Joy's. Sadie walked in front of them, as he expected her too - not that she minds in the least. They finally reached Joy's doorstep after a slow, five minute walk.

"Tonight was wonderful! We should plan stuff like this more often. If we make time that is," started Joy.

"I guess. Plus, I'm starting to think there was a reason I dumped slushies on Felix's shirt that time," giggled Sadie. Joy and Felix looked away from each other and moaned awkwardly. "That's adorable," she commented further.

"Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow I guess," she thanked, her voice gentle.

"Yeah," Felix replied. Joy reached out to hug him, but stopped as she saw him back away slightly with his arms slowly crossing, disheartening her. Felix caught sight of her reaction and welcomed her into his arms, pulling her close before she could give in. Sadie wiped a tear from her eye.

"Felix, I'm really sorry about what I did. If you want, I'll stop-"

"What? No!" Felix instantly protested and pulled himself away from her almost roughly. "I'll do whatever you want me to! T-That is if you're ready. I mean, I love what you did to me- Agh! I mean, I - you- m-me, guh- BYE!" Without another word, he sprinted off in a second, leaving a trail of white smoke. **(Ever heard of a plane crashing? Because that's exactly what you'd hear in this scene.)**

Joy and Sadie watched him leave and looked to each other, shaking their heads. "I think I scared him off again..." Joy muttered.

"That's okay. He's always like this. But don't get him wrong. I bet he enjoyed that kiss even more than you did," Sadie admitted. "I'll see you soon. Night, Joy," she bade her farewell and crossed the street back to their house, leaving Joy dumbfounded by the comment. Joy felt her cheeks get rosy and let out a small giggle before entering her house.

* * *

 **That was probably the cutest update I made so far... and apparently, there was an unwritten mature scene involved. If you thought things were going too fast well... they're not as much. They only got to feel the joys of French kissing. It'll get a little steamier from there. I'm not sure what the next chapter will be about.**

 **Do you guys want me to skip time to where Felix visits Sadie's job or do you want a little surprise for Joy at her job?**

 **And when you're watching a movie, which character are you most like based on how I described them in that particular scene?**

 **Again, everyone's imperfections remain subtle. Desiree's eating disorder has barely started yet since she still has some confidence in her own form. But if it helps, the gang may or may not stop her before she starts it. I still need to conduct some proper research. I love eating so I can't put myself in the shoes of anyone with eating disorders... but you know how I love spreading awareness. Angus needs to explain to her before she starts doing something stupid behind his back.**

 **Again, I do want to say that despite the amount of criticism I get nowadays, I still love writing this. Believe it or not, it actually keeps people going... it gives my friends something to look forward to when they think they have nothing to look forward to. That's a strength that outnumbers attention. As long as you guys are still around, I have no problem continuing this despite the odds. Don't get me wrong, I love and respect criticism, but I also hate getting it a lot because I feel like I'm letting my readers down - that I'm offending them with what I write because they think I don't know what I'm doing, and they're right. I'm really sorry, everyone, for letting you down. There are most days where I wish I could do better, honestly.**


	7. Lonely Inside, Busy Out There

**This update's officially up and running! This one's a little boring compared to the others but there are quite a few revelations here. Reply time.**

 **Rose Enaid: Thank you! Also concerning that question about the movies bit: which emotion are you mostly like based on their reactions when it comes to watching movies? Desiree's eating disorder probably might escalate after this. And it's true that we all need critiques.**

 **HollyAnne1084: That's okay you can always comment on other things XD (Angus: I'm NOT jealous!)**

 **CNBW: That won't come for a while… but it's nice to come up with a few hints. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!**

 **Tripledent: Oh I wanted him to but I decided to make their choices a little inspecific. It sounds a little awkward to come up with movie titles or include official ones. Also, thanks a heap. I may be told that quite frequently but it does help.**

 **I even got a recent update from Dancingwiththesocks! I'm so glad you're ok and still active on this site. And hearing your message only helps keep me and my works going even more. Thank you.**

 **Take care, all, I apologize in advance for any mistakes, and enjoy.**

* * *

The weekend was over. Everyone went along doing their own thing the night after the pool party. It was now a Monday morning throughout the neighbourhood.

Sadie awoke to the rays striking from her window. She stretched her arms and turned to her side to realize she wasn't alone in her room. There was her brother, sleeping next to her with his arm over her lap, causing her to shriek. Felix's eyes shot open and gasped.

"What are you doing here?!" she cried.

"Huh?" Felix moaned as he sat up to rub his eyes. "Oh, you were whimpering when I came to check on you and I stayed until you fell asleep. I guess I fell asleep too, so here I am now?"

"You're impossible," Sadie sighed and leapt off her bed.

"Hey, you know what day it is: It's the day I go to your workplace to back you up from those jerks whose names escape me," Felix reminded.

"Fine, but if you embarrass me then I'm going home."

"Hey, better me than them, right?"

"Where's my son!?" they heard an old voice mumbling from the outside. Then he burst into her room. "Sadie, have you seen my- Oh, there you are. Oh, I thought I lost you!" Freddie wailed.

"You're overreacting, dad. I'll have a shower then make breakfast," Felix yawned.

"That won't be necessary, sport. Sam beat you to it," Freddie chuckled.

"Always an early bird," Sadie mumbled before leaving to wash her face. Freddie turned to his son. "You know, Felix, you've been awfully quiet yesterday. You never made a single comment at the movie we watched and you didn't say a word when we attended mass. Did something happen at that pool party?"

"P-pool party, what pool party?" Felix stammered.

"And every time I talked to Sadie about it she kept directing me to you," Freddie went on.

"I-it's really nothing dad," Felix answered, his cheeks flaring.

"I know that face. You and Joy did something, didn't you?" Freddie teased.

"No?" came his unsure answer. His cheeks only flushed more.

 _I knew it,_ Freddie thought. "Alright then," he said with subtle disbelief. Before Felix could sigh in relief, he nervously gazed at his father, who turned back to look at him.

"I hope you haven't done anything undignified," he said sternly. Felix shook his head and sighed defeatedly. "It was…. It was just a French kiss, dad. I know where our boundaries lie."

Freddie was dumbfounded. Is that why he was so distracted? "Oh, that's all?"

Felix's frown deepened, and so did the hue on his face. "Yes, that's all."

"Alright! As you were," Freddie said and moved his wheelchair out of the room, mumbling incoherently. Whatever it was, Felix knew he was being teased.

* * *

Angus drove Desiree to the studio that same morning. Some of the employees who stuck around outside the building noticed the car and began exchanging whispers.

"Thanks for dropping me off," Desiree began. Angus stared at her with his hand tapping the steering wheel. He noticed she wasn't staring back and shook his head away from her.

"Don't mention it. But, Desiree, you do know that if there's anything wrong, you can always talk to me, right?" He wasn't good at this. Even she knew that.

"I would but I don't want to come back with you saying you can't help me," Desiree answered, hinting that same issue he never wanted to discuss.

"Look, I know what you're talking about. And I really—"

"Need more time?" she guessed, leaving him speechless. "I've been waiting two years, Angus! Our third-year anniversary is coming up in two months and you haven't made up your mind. What's your damage?" she rambled on with demand.

Angus gritted his teeth. "I _really_ don't want to talk about it, okay!"

"Then when _will_ you?"

There was brief silence. Angus released his grip from the wheel and clenched his trousers, obviously tensed. Desiree rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. _I have no time for this._

"Pick me up at three," she said like she always would and shut the door before him. Without another word, Angus turned on the siren and revved off, leaving Desiree to sigh with disbelief.

"Is something wrong, flower?" said a smooth voice. She rolled her eyes. "Back off, Aaron, and go count your bills elsewhere."

"You know I need you for that." He winked at her, causing her to shove him roughly.

"Go get your client to do your dirty work and leave me alone!" Desiree snapped as she turned her heel and ran off inside. Confused at first, it suddenly hit him on what was going on and snickered.

"Alright; I'll play this game."

* * *

Joy was the last one to leave her home that morning. Her parents had already left before her to run their own errands. As she made her way to the bus stop, she paused in front of Sadie and Felix's house. On most occasions the two of them would catch the same bus to work together, the price which Sadie would have to walk a few blocks to her workplace if she chose to go with her. She walked up the steps and poked the doorbell.

"Sadie, someone's at the door!" Felix shouted, his voice echoing from the bathroom. He heard no response and called her name again.

"I'm a little busy!" Sadie said from the other bathroom, sitting on the toilet while reading one of Felix's psychology books. Freddie and Sam were out in the backyard and were too busy rambling about their garden to hear the doorbell. Felix groaned and stepped out of the bathroom with his robe on, lazily tying a knot as he approached the front door. He looked through the peeping hole and blinked at the person he saw. He unlocked the door and opened it all the way.

"Hey, Joy," he greeted.

Joy was taken aback by his sudden appearance and noticed he was still soaked. His violet hair that darkened to that of wine or almost black, drooping on the left side of his face, the light flush on his somewhat bewildered features, and the fact that he just got out of the shower in a robe; it was a lovely sight to see at eight in the morning.

"Oh! Hi, Felix. I thought you already… left," she slowly swooned.

Felix smirked sheepishly. "No, I already said I'm not going to work today. I'm visiting Sadie at work."

She clapped her hands and looked away awkwardly. "Ah, I see! Whew, is it hot in here?"

The Nerveling narrowed his eyes slightly as his pupils darted back and forth. "Uh, yeah it's summer. That's why I took a shower," he answered obliviously.

"R-right, of course!" she chuckled and thought inwardly, ' _That killed the mood_.' Seeing the slight disappointment in her eyes, Felix blinked in realization. "Oh… n-no not at all. Or is it just you?"

Joy burst out laughing. "You have such bad timing when it comes to flirting! It's adorable." As her laughter died down, she felt her nose twitch and inched towards him. "Is that… lavender?"

His eyes widened and cheeks flushed. "Huh? Oh, yeah, it is. I ran out of soap a week ago and Sadie got me a lavender-scented one. Her first impression was, 'It's purple, so it's yours, Felix'," he laughed. "Ah, good times."

"That explains a lot. In saying that, you should probably dry yourself off. Your hair is… raining," she giggled.

"Huh, so it is," Felix spoke smoothly and pulled the door further. "Come in."

"Oh no, I-I'm okay waiting out here. It's sunny and I could use a little Vitamin D," she declined.

 _Suit yourself_ , was what Felix was going to say until he heard Sadie's faint echo, "Let her in, bro. And don't tell her I said that."

"Was that Sadie's voice?" Joy asked. Felix gave her a 'what-do-you-think' look, yet he took Sadie's plan as an opportunity and gently took her hands in his.

"Maybe? Look, just come in," Felix insisted.

"No, I'm fine waiting out heee-aaah!" Joy squealed as he pulled her inside and closed the door. Their lips briefly met as a final greeting. She loves how his bravest moments always hit her unexpectedly.

"Now stay," he commanded and left the scene to his room. Joy let out a gleeful chortle and walked to the living room, where Sam and Freddie were. Startled to see her entrance, they welcomed her immediately, much to her protests saying she won't stick around for long.

"Apparently my son's been pretty darn quiet during the weekend and told me you two kissed," Freddie began. Confused, Sam interjected, "But they always kissed. What made him so," until she realized, "Oh, _that_ kiss. Oh dear."

Joy's eyes widened and blushed. "Y-yeah… but I beg your pardon, Freddie, it was my fault. I shouldn't have—"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. If anything, it was long overdue," Sam interjected once more.

"It was?"

"Sure! The guy could use a push. He's prone to running away when it comes to those sorts of things," Freddie replied.

"Oh… how do you know?"

"A fatherly instinct," he answered quickly. "And that one time where he told me one of his co-workers tried to kiss him and he ran. Good on him!"

 _Satine,_ Joy growled inwardly. "I can't wait to meet her," she mumbled ominously instead. Not long after they started talking, Sadie and Felix arrived in the living room.

"We're leaving. Let's go," Sadie murmured softly.

"And yours truly is driving you there," Felix added while spinning his keys around his index finger.

"Thanks! Bye Freddie, bye Sam!" Joy grinned and trotted out of the living room, dragging Sadie and Felix with her on the way out.

"Take care," Sam called.

"And stay safe!" Freddie added before hearing the sound of the door slam.

* * *

The school was their first stop. Joy hugged Felix and Sadie farewell; but before she could exit the car, she felt Felix grab her hand.

"Wait! What if Sloane tries to frame you, o-or get back at you?" he stammered worriedly.

"Hey, I can take care of myself. Besides, you'll delay Sadie's job." She leaned in to kiss his nose. "I'll be fine." She grabbed her bag and exited the car. Felix watched her leave until he heard Sadie's signalling cough. He pushed the gear exited the car park, allowing another one to enter.

As Joy entered her office, she noticed Sloane's belongings were no longer on her desk. She smirked and beckoned a social studies teacher. "So, did Sloane finally quit the job?"

"No," muttered the social studies teacher, with obvious intimidation masking her voice. Joy squinted. "What do you mean?"

"It means she's handed her job to me," said a snobby voice. Joy froze, her heart stopping at the dreaded sound of pride in her voice. She slowly turned her head sideways, albeit not looking at who was behind her. Even after all these years, even when they no longer made any sort of contact with each other, she recognized that voice.

"You haven't changed at all. You're still that same pathetic teacher's pet who befriended a couple of plebs, my ex-user-friendly tramp, and her tool of a boyfriend."

Joy glared and clenched her fist, keeping her back turned. "You know, I thought you changed, but I guess I was wrong."

"No, you're right. I did change. I learned how to overthrow any crowd they throw at me, how to overcome anything no matter what people say, and how to overpower anyone who stands in my way. I've gone past my pride thanks to you, and I'm _loving_ it," she said with distasteful pleasure, making Joy shudder. She gathered every ounce of courage she could to turn around and meet those deep violet orbs. She hasn't changed a bit, other than having longer hair – which looked thicker and shinier than before – violet eyeshadow, more piercings on her ears and one on her rouge bottom lip. Joy shook her head with disbelief.

"Hannah."

"Joy."

"How did you get this job?" Joy asked, trying not to panic. "And what have you done to Sloane?"

"I haven't done anything to her. She is my sister after all," Hannah answered.

"Your… sister?" she asked dumbfoundedly. It's no wonder their surnames were identical!

"That's right. She may be lazy when it comes to work; but when it comes to dirty work, she knows how to get the job done. I simply got my work cut out for me without getting my hands dirty," Hannah went on while examining her black nails.

"Yeah, well, I'm not letting you take over this school," Joy warned.

"Duly noted. But I'd watch my back if I were you. I've got some juicy gossip about you and your friends, especially your little gal pals, Desiree and Sadie. If all else fails I can always make up lies about Sir Beanpole and Brickprick. I even noticed how _handsome_ your nerdy boyfriend got over the years and I already thought of ways to blackmail him," she said almost hoarsely.

"You wouldn't," Joy hissed.

"Oh, I will. I'm the one who got Sloane to blackmail Principal Raine. If I can get Principal Raine fired without having to see each other eye-to-eye, then I can take you and your friends down all at once just as easy. And we all know you wouldn't want that.

"So… yeah, try not to best me nor get me in trouble this time, sweetheart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way to teach these peasants that pride is power." Hannah walked past Joy with ease to rest her bag on her new desk. Joy's face went red with anger.

 _This cannot be happening_.

* * *

"Alright, sis, just show me their faces and I'll give them what for," Felix challenged as they entered her lab. "Should I even be here?"

"You're a dork," Sadie mumbled. "And no, but I granted you access so you should be fine to stay for a few minutes."

"And proud of that. I forgot how big this hospital was. I'm usually too dazed or unconscious to notice," Felix commented. Unknown to them, they heard the door creak open and footsteps getting louder until they pressed to a halt.

"Felix, darling!" squealed a voice. Felix jumped on Sadie's arms, screaming.

"SATINE!?" he yelped.

"Darling…?" Sadie repeated incredulously.

"Ew, she's touching him, Satine! Let him go, Sadie. You already have enough people in your life," came the frustrated tone in Levy's voice. Felix ignored Satine's presence as he pulled himself out of Sadie's arms to glare at Levy.

"So, I heard you're that girl who's been bullying my sister," he snarled.

"Oh, what a coincidence: siblings meeting siblings. It's almost like a double date!" Satine swooned, completely ignoring the Nerveling's frustration.

"Siblings!?" Felix and Sadie stammered.

"Duh! We're sisters and you're unidentical siblings," Satine stated.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, how did you even get here?!" asked an angered Felix. He wasn't going to admit their unrelated sibling bond.

"I, like, heard you weren't coming to work so I decided to visit my appalling younger sister at her job. But I didn't expect to see _you_ here, Feely," she said in a low seductive whisper.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Sadie mumbled to herself. Then she checked her titrations from last week and glared daggers at Levy. "You stole my flask didn't you!?"

"Please, it was obvious you didn't come back to finish it, so I finished it myself. Our boss said the endpoints weren't accurate enough, so I blamed you. After all, it's about time _someone_ admitted their imperfections," said Levy's raspy tone.

"'Admitted their imperfections'? You really don't know me," Sadie growled, tears forming in her eyes underneath her glare.

"Okay, that's enough!" Felix snapped. "Satine, Levy, if you both have nothing good to say to us then get out of here and make yourselves useful!"

"Ugh, fine. At least I don't have to look at _her_ all the time. Come on, Satine, there's this really hot guy I received as patient and he's coming back today. I hope Sadie doesn't take him from me," Levy said as she tried to drag her sister out of the room.

"I'll see you in a minute. I have to talk to Feely first," Satine insisted, causing Levy to growl and exit the room. Felix rolled his eyes. "'Feely'?! Give me a break. For the last time, Satine: I'M. IN. A HAPPY. RELATIONSHIP!"

"If I don't see her, then I won't believe you. You'll have to let her meet me sometime," she flirtatiously responded. Sadie sticked her tongue out in disgust.

"Oh, great idea! Meet up with her," Felix raised his voice sarcastically then shot her a sneer. "And then what? Get rid of her so you can have me? No chance! I know your game."

"Jeez all I want is to meet her then I'll leave you alone. Otherwise, I'll be the only one you'll ever think about even when you leave work." Satine winked, much to his irritation, and exited the laboratory.

"Wow… I've seen desperate girls but she's a whole new level," Sadie mumbled. "And why does she look so… fake?"

"She _is_ fake. Almost everything about her isn't natural. I always overheard her stories flaunting about how she gets all these transplants, o-or implants. It's a nightmare!" he answered.

"Felix, you need to get out of there. She could violate you! S-she could lull you to sleep and take you in your dreams," Sadie spoke conflictedly.

"Sadie, you're spiralling. And I'm not letting her have her way with me. Also, didn't you say there was another person bullying you?"

"Lester? Oh, he's usually early so he's not coming. He probably got gastro again," Sadie deadpanned.

"Okay… that's disgusting. So, what're you supposed to be doing?"

"Well, the titrations can wait. Right now, I need to examine these bacterial cells. The doctor couldn't identify it so he turned to me for answers," Sadie answered.

"Bacterial cells?! Are they contagious? Are you sure your safety gear is adjusted properly? Did you take your Vitamin C this morning? Put your mask over your nose! Why aren't you wearing safety gloves!? Where's MY safety gear!?" Felix cried.

"That's why you shouldn't be here. And stop worrying so much," Sadie muffled through her mask and snapped her gloves on. "I know what I'm doing."

"I hope you do. Do you need any help?"

Sadie smiled. She wanted help since the day she started working! "Grab that lab coat and goggles and go get me an Erlenmeyer flask."

Felix nodded eagerly. "Right back at ya, sis."

* * *

 **And that leads to the end… of this chapter. Wonder what'll happen to Angus at his job... The next update will arrive soon.**


	8. Tasting Love and Pain

**This chapter's dedicated to Brickoli fans. Also, I gave Jake a surname, and it's heavily based on his voice actor's 'preferred name'. For those of you who haven't noticed, the chapters of this story are based on the songs I listen to. If you know of the lyrics in the title of each chapter, then feel free to have a guess. Most of the chapter titles have song lyrics in them anyway.**

 **CNBW: Aw thanks! :D**

 **Rose Enaid: Hehe nice! I can be like Desiree sometimes, but otherwise I don't complain often when watching a movie. You're too much of a cinnamon roll to think of evil names. AND LASTLY, you might love this chapter… c:**

 **Ponystoriesandothers: That's okay, I know how some scenes make you cringe. Yep, they'll bring out the worst in these five…**

 **HollyAnne1084: I couldn't think of better nicknames… XD I haven't gone too far in with Hannah's schemes yet but I will.**

 **Tripledent: Heh thanks! I don't watch X-Files but it's certainly popular down under.**

 **Fun fact: The characters portrayed as the seven deadly sins didn't just come to mind. their personalities are based on those people whom I witnessed growing up. Like many people out there, I was a victim of bullying and I categorized these bullying characteristics I faced into these seven douchebags. Aaron, Sloane, Satine, Ira and Hannah were the most notable for me. Levi and Lester are more likely to be my inner demons.**

 **Warning for this chapter: Swearing, violence, and a little intimacy.**

 _"Sergeant Brickman, we have just received a call to rendezvous at 11 Third Avenue. Do you copy?"_

With his hands on the wheel, Angus' eyes gestured from the speaker to his partner, who nodded and picked it up. "This is Lieutenant Jake Fletcher, I read you, over. What's the dilemma?"

 _"Apparently an adolescent called on behalf of her mother getting abused by her husband, so I would strongly suggest getting there ASAP since you're the second closest."_

"'Second closest'? Wait, don't tell me Corporal Heinous the closest?" he responded. Angus glanced towards his tensed partner.

 _"He is, but I made sure he wasn't notified about this. We need that man alive for questioning. Just make sure you beat him there."_

"Understood." He dropped the speaker and sighed heavily.

"So, what's going on?" Angus began as he started speeding up with the siren on full blast.

"You're not going to like it: A woman is getting physically abused by her husband and Ira is closer to the specified location so we need to make sure we get there first."

There was silence.

"Angus? Angus, what's wrong?!"

Jake was being ignored. Angus kept his eyes on the road, but his mind went elsewhere. He reminisced it all, all those memories. He was hit, slapped, spanked, even kicked and punched. He remembered those times when his grandfather was still alive and was left with him while his parents were away. He remembered those times where he didn't want to go home to hear those exact same words from his parents, so Desiree was all he had to talk with. A dark cloud escaped his subconscious and began spiralling throughout his mind. It brought him trepidation from the past, to the present, and for the future.

"Angus!" he shouted this time. Finally, the Brickman snapped out of his trance at the shake of his head. He turned to Jake, obviously irritated.

"What!?"

"Focus, Brickman! I know this conundrum brings back unsettling memories for you, but the least we can do now is to prevent these things from happening. That's why you're here, isn't it?" Jake recalled.

"I'm fully aware of that. I just hope Ira doesn't beat us to it," Angus grumbled. On that note, he floored the pedal further before skidding against the sidewalk between two cars. "Ha, nailed that parallel parking!"

"Nice," Jake loaded his gun and rested it on his side. "Let's get this over with." While he exited the car, Angus remained pondering in his seat. He could faintly hear the murderous screams coming from inside the house. The corners of his right eye spotted people with frightened and bewildered looks on their faces. The gun he shakily held rested on his lap with his head hung over. He glanced at his rear-view mirror for a moment before giving a long dreaded stare at the SUV parking not far behind. He cursed to himself and hastily escaped the car with his gun and a pair of cuffs. He barged into the house and rushed to the kitchen, where all the crashing and clattering were heard.

"Jake!" he shouted, then skidded to a halt at the sight. Before him and his partner was the man and the severely injured woman with a knife threatening to slit her neck.

"Move one step closer and we'll both go down!" he threatened. Angus gagged at the strong smell of alcohol and weed mixing within the man's breath. It was so pungent it filled the room. He looked around and found a young adolescent girl hiding behind the drapes sheltering the cupboard.

"You're late, Brickman," Jake hissed, his gun held out.

"Lower your weapons, coppers. If you don't take me in, I'll spare her," warned the man. Angus' eyes widened and slowly stepped closer.

"Don't do it, Brickman, it's a trap! We must take him in," shouted Jake.

"Can it, Fletcher!" Angus retorted and dropped his gun, kicking it back with his foot instead of the front. He tapped his foot twice, prompting Jake to nod and pick up the gun.

"STAY BACK!" the man spat, pressing the knife down further against the woman's neck. She gasped in fear, but Angus tried to remain calm. _Patience.. it's tough but it'll work_ , he said to himself. Before he could defensively slap the knife out of the man's grasp, two gunshots were heard. It sounded like it was only a few inches over the right side of his head. He froze with trauma and noticed blood spurting from the man's jawline and clavicle. As he fell to the floor, the woman let out an ear-splitting shriek and ran to her hiding daughter. Angus gathered his thoughts back and turned around.

"JAKE!" he snapped.

Jake looked at his gun, dumbfounded and dropped it with his hands raised. "It wasn't me!"

It both dawned in their minds on who made the shot. Both were too shocked to look back until that moment. Their eyes widened at Ira's sudden appearance, with a smug smirk on his face.

"Bullseye."

Angus gritted his teeth and stomped towards him. "What the fucking hell is wrong with you!? We needed that man **ALIVE**!" he roared.

"Alive to what – escape from prison and resume his barbaric deeds? Don't go spitting shit at me! People like him don't deserve second chances. Next time you see dipsticks like him, shoot their eyeballs out!" Ira threatened.

"I ought'a blasta YOUR brains out for your bullshit, you fucking hypocrite!" Angus shouted back.

"Why you ungrateful son of a-!"

"ENOUGH!" Jake snapped, pushing them away from each other. "Ira, everyone deserves a chance in life. We're here to save lives, not take them! Learn your place or I'll have you dismissed from the force. And I don't care what you do to me. Got it?!"

Ira responded with a spit on Angus' face and broke his way out of the house.

"Asshole," Angus grumbled.

"Watch your language, Sergeant. I'll call an ambulance." Jake took out his phone and exited the house for air. Meanwhile, Angus looked over to the petrified mother and daughter and knelt before them. The mother pulled her daughter away from him until she felt a soft hand resting on her shoulder

"Are you alright?" he asked. The woman looked at her child, then nodded back at him.

"You… you weren't going to kill him, were you?" she shakily asked.

Angus shook his head. "I could only think of it, but what kind of man would I be if I did?"

"Bless you for being merciful," the woman whispered as more tears escaped her eyes. But she was relaxed, which made him at ease. The young girl left her mother's grasp to enter his, which he half-heartedly returned.

"Keep safe, kid. We'll make sure your house is fully fixed too," he said as he stood to his feet.

"Thank you…" the mother whimpered and held her child once more.

More officers came in an hour later to take photographic evidence, while the ambulance arrived to escort the mother and daughter to the hospital. Jake and Angus sat on the sidewalk, recovering from the shots fired.

"You were going to incapacitate the guy, weren't you?" Jake chuckled.

"I was trained by the best, wasn't I?" Angus chuckled back.

"And I trained the best." He rose to his feet, to which Angus followed. "Come on, we better report this to the reception area. The chief will not be pleased."

"That's Ira's fault and he can go sit on a stick." Angus checked his watch. "I have to pick up Desiree in an hour."

"I see. She keeps complaining to me that she wanted a family."

"As much as I agree with her, I'm afraid I can't make that happen," Angus said solemnly.

"Why not?"

"I just can't, okay!?"

"I think I understand." Jake slowly looked away in silence. He revised his previous experiences and past cases until he came up with a few possible inferences. Sceptical, Angus shook his head subtly.

 _That's the problem: you don't._

* * *

Desiree waited outside the studio for her husband. She could no longer stand the ongoing drama that's been going on in there – something about a client thinking it's the end of the world after breaking a nail. _Utterly ridiculous_ , she thought.

"So, quite the scene in there, eh?" entered a suave voice. Desiree rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Aaron, I've got no time for the likes of you," she spat.

"Sometimes you gotta make time, girl. Anyway, I noticed you never went on your lunch break. You were just going for it: pampering the ladies, giving fashion advice, it was tiring to watch you perform with such vigorous grace," Aaron complimented. Desiree opened her mouth as to say something but slowly shut it – she _didn't_ know how to respond to that.

"But, at the same time, it also concerns me."

"What're you talking about?" Desiree sneered.

"Hey, I overheard your conversation with Angus in the car this morning. He really isn't going to give you what you want, is he?" Aaron guessed rhetorically.

"What 'I' want? It's supposed to be what _we_ want! We were committed to this and he's not doing his part," Desiree ranted. A part of her wished she never said that, but at the same time she wanted to talk to _someone_ about this. He was the last person on her mind.

"And forgive me for butting into your personal views, but it isn't because of your _form_ , is it?"

"That can't be it! He said he chose- why are you meddling with my life so suddenly?" Desiree growled.

"I'm just worried about you, that's all! You're stuck with a babyman who can't even treat you like a real queen. After all, we used to be friends back when we were younger," he muttered rather ominously.

"Don't make me laugh. Everyone in middle school knows you two _never_ get along, and this is coming from ninety-five percent of the class who are total gossipers. Remember that, Einstein?" mocked Desiree.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, we did have our bad times. But we also had at least one or two memories. What was one of them, again? Oh, right, he said he always wanted to get married to some tall, hot and curvy broad. Obviously when I asked if that woman ever had children he would gag and say 'I'd rather shoot myself in the head than have children!' he even said something about a woman's curves being their 'best feature'. I mean come on, who wouldn't agree to that?"

"He said… what?" Desiree said lowly.

"Look, the point is: you're loosing your greenish glow. Angus doesn't like you the way he used to since your marriage. The other thing he told me is that many relationships end with marriage and it's the children that get in the way, along with the wife gaining weight. Even _you_ can't stand gaining weight, can you? You obviously haven't thought this whole child-thing through. And we all know Angus can't control himself around former models like you."

"Oh yeah, and what does a jerkwad like you have to say to fix that; Make myself miserable for the benefit of his happiness?!" Desiree spat, her voice raising with anger.

"Hey, think of it this way. I'm proud of what you do. I admired your persistence at work today. And if skipping even just a few meals makes you feel better about yourself then you should go for it! All you have to do is lose the right amount of weight, Angus will see how ready you are and you won't gain as much even after having a child! He'll never leave you for that. Also, you have gained a little weight, and forgive me for saying so."

"That… is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Thanks for nothing, Everpest," Desiree huffed.

"Hey it's your choice on what you want to do before you two eventually file a divorce." A green limousine arrived at the last second, with Aaron heading for the door. "But if you were with me, you know I'd love you just the way you are."

Desiree growled and crossed her arms.

"And you'll get luxurious rides that always arrive on time. Until we meet again, my gorgeous flower," He shut the door before her, causing the limousine to drive off smoothly.

"Ugh." Not long after the limousine left, she noticed a blue and white car approach her.

"Sorry I'm late, Des. We had a bit of a chaotic scene back there," he greeted. Desiree was meant to glare at him, only she could hardly believe what Aaron said. Her saddened expression worried him. "Desiree? Are you alright?"

"Who, me? Yeah! I'm good." She entered the car and sniffed something awful. She turned to her husband and her eyes widened. "Is that blood on your shirt?"

Angus looked down, then back at her. "Yeah, but it's not my blood."

"What happened?!"

He groaned, "We were sent on a case to arrest an abusive man from his wife and daughter. He was supposed to be alive until Ira shot his freaking brains out!"

Desiree covered her mouth and hesitantly rested her hand on his shoulder. "A-are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You'll probably have to speak louder on my right ear though," he flashed a small smile before adjusting the gears. Desiree looked down for a moment before inching herself towards him. Angus caught her movement out of the corner of his eyes, then both, and began to protest until the gap between them was closed.

The first five minutes were spent on a desperate make-out session. Angus was still trying to process the entire thing; he's been shocked too much today. He grunted in surprise as he felt her hand roam under his shirt. He returned the kiss for a moment until he felt her hand descending from under his shirt to his belt. At that moment he pushed her away.

"Desiree," he panted. "I don't know where this is coming from, but we're in public, remember? Can it wait until we get home?"

Desiree felt tears form in her eyes, causing him to panic. Before he could force himself to resume the scene for her, he felt her throw her arms around him, which confused him even more. He felt her plant tender kisses on his slightly deaf ear, leaving him at ease. They stayed that way for a while until she pulled herself away, smiling and wiping a tear from her eye.

"Let's go home."

"I'm so confused. Aaron didn't try to move past your boundaries, did he?" Angus asked almost angrily.

Desiree shook her head. "He didn't, I swear."

"Then where's all this desire coming from?!"

"Nothing," Desiree giggled. "I just wanted to know if you can control yourself around me."

Angus smiled warmly. "It's hard to try when you're in love."

Desiree smiled and looked away to hide the creeping blush on her cheeks.

"Uh, Des?"

"Yes?" she quickly turned around.

"Did you push on the gear stick when you launched yourself at me?"

"Uh…" Before she could answer, they only realized just now that they were slowly moving in reverse. Angus looked back and noticed how close they were getting to the lamp post. He cursed to himself and pushed the gear back to parking mode. The car only slightly bumped against the post and the back tyres hit the sidewalk, causing them to jerk forward slightly. They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Buckle up," chuckled Angus. He pushed the gear on drive and the car revved them home that night.

* * *

 **I apologize how short this chapter was compared to the others. I wasn't in the mood to write about everyone else. I don't think I'll get much feedback in this chapter, which is fine. Also, I do apologize how much of a let-down I've been lately. I haven't been reviewing stories enough and I need to show my support more but I turned into the silent type. It takes a lot of effort to do even the simplest things nowadays.**

 **This chapter? It was… interesting, though I wish I made Aaron a lot more clever than this. In my opinion, I made him sound like a real idiot instead of a subtle idiot. Big difference. For those of you who don't know Jake's voice actor, it's this guy who calls himself Flea.**


	9. Perfect Two

**I'm back with another update. Although I begrudgingly read An Emotional AU, I happened to like what I wrote, and that's saying something! And looking at this, I sometimes think, oh crap, this is like one of those stories where the sequel gets ruined out of context from the first, doesn't it? I hate those types of media, where you watch an amazing movie and then it gets ruined by the sequel and so on. I get second guesses when writing sequels because I don't want to ruin what I initially wrote into what I'm currently writing. I'm sure many writers get that a lot too, so be careful when writing sequels, folks! I almost lost track of what my story should really be about. I want to relate the movie itself and other Inside Out-related media into what I write because those are some of my top inspirations, followed by my readers, friends, past stories, past experiences, songs, and more.**

 **Alright, so in this chapter is a Starnerve-only chapter. There's also a** ** _possible_** **intimate scene… then again I like to tease my readers a bit, not in the way you're thinking. Disgust: Eugh!**

 **Again, criticism is welcome, just don't go ranting about what could've been changed a long time ago, and by 'a long time ago', I mean during An Emotional School Year. I'd be happy to learn more on how to improve their adult character developments, the villains' characteristics, and other suggestions on how to improve my writing as a whole.**

 **CNBW: My apologies for the short chapter. Some prefer short and some long but it's up to how it's written I guess. Thank you!**

 **Rose Enaid: Cheers! You described them accurately… XD**

 **Ponystoriesandothers: She won't but there's a chance she might not listen to herself if ya know what I mean. And mates don't hold grudges against mates. If you have something to say then I'll do my best to understand. :)**

 **HollyAnne1084: Yes it is! That song will be used again in the future so… watch out! (?) And also, don't stop loving Inside Out. If it allows you to live and be yourself then keep at it!**

 **This chapter's gonna be HELLA awkward, so please bear with me here! And always know that you have the option to review.  
As always, have a virtual hug, everyone, and enjoy! **

* * *

Autumn has officially started. The day after went on normally for most. Sam escorted Freddie to the hospital for his weekly check-ups with Sadie and other professionals. Felix was forced to work that day instead of being there supporting his father. Tired and stressed, with his anxiety at his peak, he could no longer endure Satine's constant flirting. He had just finished his last session and packed his belongings with celerity.

"Felix, wait, we still have a lot to catch up on—"

"No; we don't, Satine! I'm not catching up with you. I'm not going out with you. And I **don't love you**. Now leave me alone!" he finally snapped, leaving the building with her mouth agape. The other employees watched with helpless surprise. Some even snickered at his bravery.

Already onboard the bus, he slouched against his seat and called Sam. He rubbed his temples wearily and stared out the window. His nausea grew and grew from the rays of dusk piercing through his corneas, causing him to avert his gaze. Finally, he reached his stepmother.

"Hey, mom, where's dad?"

 _"He's in the middle of an appointment. The doctors recommended chemotherapy but that could cost a fortune,"_ Sam answered.

"How much?" Felix could only pray his and Sadie's savings were enough.

 _"They said at least ten to thirty grand a month_."

"Are you serious?" he moaned.

 _"I'm afraid so. And it's not in this hospital he'll be receiving the treatment for. He'll have to go to a private hospital so that could increase the cost."_

He rubbed his temples even harder. "Worst. Case. Scenario."

 _"Felix, calm down, alright? We'll find a way through this. Just go home and rest; you had a long day."_

"Mom, I'm coming to see you. I need to make sure Dad's okay," Felix demanded.

 _"Sadie and I are here and we'll see to that. You worked hard and I don't want you passing out from anxiety. Go home, take a nap, or do whatever it takes to calm your nerves. We'll be back at ten. Take care on your way home, son. Love you,"_ Sam promised.

"Love you too, mom," Felix sighed heavily before hanging up.

He didn't want to go home. He wanted to be there, in the hospital, with Freddie. At the same time, Sam was right. He was too stressed to deal with the pressure going on in the hospital. He rested his elbow on the window sill while his cheek leaned against his palm as he scrolled through his files, reminiscing all the memories he had with his friends and family. Never did he think he'd get this far, that they'd all get this far. He found a photo of himself and Joy at the Christmas party nearly five years ago and sighed with wonder. He switched from his photos to his contacts and instantly found Joy's name in his starred section. How convenient!

Before he could tap her number, he quickly drew his thumb back. To this day, he was still afraid to make a call. He mentally cursed himself for his introverted traits. He wanted to text her, but at the same time he wanted to hear her voice – it soothes him every time. He took deep breaths and drew his head back, clearly intimidated by the phone number alone. It was just like he practiced with Sadie every month.

* * *

 ** _Flashback_**

* * *

 _Felix and Sadie were in the study room at their old home. He had it all written down on his clipboard, the script he wrote with the help of Sadie on how to communicate with Joy._

 _"Alright. I've done my research. What's next?"_

 _"Roleplaying?" Sadie deadpanned, with her hair fixed to look like Joy's. She even removed her glasses to look more convincing, not that it helped. Felix was too distracted by her miniscule eyes to focus._

 _"Right! So, Joy… would you like to go out on a…." he paused briefly, leaving Sadie unimpressed. He smiled nervously and went on. "Would you like to go on a da…" he gasped speechlessly and looked back at his script._

 _"Would you like to go on a… date with me?" he finally said._

 _"Uh," Sadie smiled for a moment until it quickly turned into a tedious frown. "No."_

 _"Not helping!" Felix growled. He turned to his phone and took a deep breath. "I can do this. Step three: dialling."_

 _At the push of a button, he somewhat prayed there would be no signal or he would reach her voicemail instead. It didn't as it began to ring continuously. "Step four: Waiting," he squeaked._

 _Sadie smiled and supportively raised two thumbs up for him. Finally, he heard his girlfriend pick up the phone._

 _"Hey, Felix!" she greeted._

 _"Hey Joy! How are you? That's nice. I was wondering if you would like to go on a da….a-activity with me tomorrow—I mean tonight!" Felix stuttered a little too quickly, but enough for Joy to catch on._

 _"Um… of course!" Her voice was unsure at first, but she instantly realized how adorable it was hearing his shy voice over the phone._

 _"Great, bye, I'll see you in the café!" Felix immediately hung up on her and slammed his phone on the desk. "Nailed it!"_

 _Sadie rested her palm against her face. "You didn't even let her say goodbye."_

 _"That's because it's not time to say goodbye yet," Felix said, surprising her with his confidence. He grabbed his trench coat and fedora and headed for the door. "Gotta go, sis; wish me luck!"_

 _The Teardrop let her hair go free and sighed. "Oh, brother…"_

* * *

"Just like we practiced," he said calmly then pressed the button, awaiting her call. Almost instantly, he heard her answer, which made him jolt in his seat and catching the attention of nearby passengers.

 _"Hi, Frizzy, how was work?"_ Joy greeted.

"Uh…" Felix stammered. "Not bad—wait, did you just call me 'Frizzy'?"

 _"Yeah, I named it after that adorable curl standing out from your hair, which you told me not to touch."_

A small blush spread across his cheeks. "T-that was ages ago!"

 _"So… I can touch it?"_ Joy gasped.

"Um… sure, I-I suppose…" Felix was then interrupted by his girlfriend's sudden squeal, forcing him to draw back his phone slightly before resting it on his ear again.

 _"I waited since high school to touch that curl again. Anyway, you called?"_

"Huh? O-Oh yeah, yeah, I did. Listen, can I…" he took a deep breath once more. "Can I come over?" he asked, his voice shaky.

He somehow felt Joy's smile disappear on the other end. _"What's wrong, Felix?"_

"N-Nothing, I'm just exhausted. Mom and Sadie are at the hospital for Dad's check-up, but they don't want me to come, and... I don't want to be alone tonight."

 _"Oh, of course you can come over! My parents went out to dinner tonight so I'll be on my own too. I'll see you at my place in ten minutes, alright?"_ came Joy's soothing words of approval.

"What did I do to deserve you?" All he heard in response was her giggling, which somehow made him more at ease. Before he could say he loved her, he accidentally hung up, causing him to shriek. Once again, some of the passengers flashed strange looks at him. He coughed awkwardly and apologized before returning his gaze out the window.

* * *

Not long after the skies dimmed to reveal the stars, Felix was guided down the path to the Starlight residence. After noticing the tinted lights bleeding through the curtains, he scurried over to her front door and pushed the doorbell. In a few minutes, he was greeted by his girlfriend, who was already wearing a loose tank top and shorts – the type one would wear before going to bed. Before he could react, he felt her throw her arms around his neck. When she pulled back slightly, she finished her greeting with a brief kiss.

"I'm glad you're here! Are you okay?" she asked, worry coloring her face.

"I am thanks to you. I'm very sorry for the abrupt visit," he sighed.

"No, don't be sorry; I love having you here! Besides, I come to your house all the time, remember? Come in!"

Felix rolled his eyes playfully. "Right, of course."

"Are you hungry? I only made shepherd's pie, if that's alright," Joy explained.

"No, no, I'm fine."

"No, no, I insist." Joy flashed her big puppy-dog eyes, "Please?"

Felix blushed for a moment, then snorted, "Alright, that sounds lovely, thank you."

"Yay! Now sit." Felix did as he was told. "So, how was your day?" Joy went on.

"Terrible. I couldn't focus at work and my nerves couldn't stop jittering for hours!"

"Are you feeling a little better now?"

"They're not shaking anymore, so I'm glad that's over. And furthermore, Satine wouldn't leave me alone!" Felix ranted on.

Joy's shoulders slumped, which scared him a bit, and turned around to face him. "She didn't… do anything to you, did she?"

"No, she didn't," he answered dejectedly as he rubbed his scalp. The sternness and clarity in his voice was enough prof he was telling the truth.

"Are you sure? Because anything she can do, I can do better," Joy asked again with certainty.

"You already are better, Joy. And she's fake, so don't try to do what she does. It makes me sick!"

"What _does_ she do?"

"Calling me cringe-worthy pet names, she would try stroking my face, arms, hai—nobody messes with my hair except you… and my family. She even stared at my butt that one time!"

"Okay, enough! I hate her already." She lent him a shallow bowl filled with shepherd's pie, which he eagerly accepted.

"I told you she's horrible." He took a bite of her dish. "But this is delicious! What's in it?"

"Oh, the usual… carrots, celery, mince n' mash, stock, tomato paste, and a hint of Worcestershire," Joy answered while attempting a British accent at the last ingredient, causing her boyfriend to chuckle lightly. She chortled back and sat next to him.

"So, uh, how was your day? Did work turn out for the better? Is Sloane still bugging you?"

"I… I didn't go to work today," Joy answered. Felix narrowed his eyebrows worriedly and stopped eating.

"Joy, what happened?"

"Sloane dismissed herself," Joy began.

"Well that's great, at least you don't have to—"

"Hannah."

Felix's heart stopped and barely whispered, "What?"

"Hannah took her place," Joy confessed.

"Wha-what?! No!" he cried out incredulously. "This is not happening!"

"Oh, it just did. Yesterday, it did."

"But… how? She was sent to juvenile ten years ago! She can't have the right to work as a teacher," Felix protested.

"She said something about her dad being a lawyer and they won the case so she was easily dismissed and given the right to work. She even managed to convince everyone she changed! She's just as two-faced as her sister."

"Sister? What do you- wait a minute? Sloane and Hannah are sisters?!" he shrieked.

"Yep! Two birds in one stone. I can't believe they're taking over the one place that brought us all together!" Joy whimpered.

"Oh, talk about a double whammy!" Felix groaned. "Joy, I hate to say this, but you need to quit."

"Quit!? I can't let them take over our school, Felix! Hannah's going to torture everyone if I leave and she even planned to threaten you guys and I feel like it's because of me," Joy argued.

"First of all, it's not your fault. Second, this is reality, Joy. You can't always be the hero. You could risk losing everything!" Felix added before rubbing his head painfully.

"Alright. I'll quit my job if _you_ quit yours," Joy challenged.

"Joy, I have to work for my dad's sake. And the chances of finding a new job as a psychologist are very slim nowadays!" Felix quarrelled.

"But I can't stand you working with Satine under one roof!" Joy shot back.

"I'm not letting her touch me, Joy, and you know that! I'll even see to it she gets fired or quits if I make her."

"Well then you should know what I'm talking about, so I guess that makes us even," Joy finished stubbornly. The thunderous bickering soon died down quickly. Neither of them looked at each other for a while. Joy lightly pinched her nose in frustration while Felix went back to rubbing his scalp. Across the table, Felix rested his palm on hers, stroking his thumb on the back of her hand.

"Joy, I don't want them to ruin you, okay? I don't want her to ruin _us_ , and our friendship as a group. And you know as well as I do that I can't always be there for you. Do not underestimate Hannah. We all knew her. She's very persuasive and manipulative. If she wants something, she almost always gets it. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you while I'm not around," he mumbled softly.

The Starlight released his hand, much to his uneasiness, and walked to the other side of the table to sit next to him. "Felix, it's so sweet of you to worry about me this much, but I can take care of myself. I'm also fully aware of how dangerous Hannah can be. And you of all people should know that I'm a lot stronger than anyone thinks."

Felix let out a single chuckle. "If you can take care of yourself then why are you still living with your parents?"

Joy wanted to ask him the same question, but instantly knew the answer. Instead, she said, "I only decided to stay with my parents for now because we just moved to a new neighborhood. I want to move out, but they don't want me to unless I move out with someone I know."

The Nerveling cocked an eyebrow. "Someone you know?"

"Well, they've been talking and… they don't want me to move out unless you and I start living together one day," Joy slowly admitted. She observed the sudden change of color on her boyfriend's cheeks and shook her hands in front of him. "But I understand that you have your reasons for not moving out, so I don't mind waiting!"

"You want me to live with you one day?" he repeated incredulously.

"Well, yeah, I mean that's what couples do, right?" she murmured sheepishly as she began fiddling with her blue streaks. She saw the funny look on his face and grew with worry. "I-If you don't want to, I can always tell them—"

Felix shook his head, then grinned. "No, no, no, I'd love to move out with you! It's just that my dad's health and safety come first. As soon as we help him get better completely, I'll consider living with you. I was always afraid of the idea about living independently, but because I have you I don't think I need to worry so much."

"You're the best!" Joy grinned from ear-to-ear and threw her arms around his waist, which slightly startled him. After letting go of the hug, she took his spoon and began scooping his share of shepherd's pie. "By the way, I'm stealing some of your food."

He shot a false look of disappointment and shook his head with a grin. "By all means go for it, you made it—mmph!" His voice was suddenly muffled as Joy lightly shoved a spoonful of mash into his mouth.

"Shut up and eat my food, dork," Joy laughed playfully. Felix chuckled, with the spoon still in his mouth, and took it out.

"I could've choked on that, you know," he said in the same playful manner. Joy could only laugh at his overdramatic behavior. Eventually he finished his food and offered to clean up after himself, to which Joy reluctantly approved. He called Sam once more, where she responded that Freddie was almost finished with his therapy session. Joy flashed him a sad, yet reassuring smile and gave him a gentle hug after hanging up from the call. She led him to the living room and sat on the couch together.

"Do you want anything? A glass of water? A book?" she asked.

"I should be fine," he answered, running his hand against his hair.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"You keep rubbing your scalp… and your forehead sometimes. Are you having a migraine?" Joy asked worriedly.

"I think so. When I get this anxious my head hurts all over. At least I can rub medicine over my forehead, but my head itself is hopeless." He slightly bent over to rest his elbows on his knees while rubbing his temples. Concerned, Joy felt the sudden urge to scoot closer and began to knead her fingers against both sides of his head. Felix lifted his head in slight confusion. "Um… what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to massage your head. Why, you don't like it?" Joy wondered.

"It's like your sucking my brains out," he commented. "But it feels nice."

She kept pressing against his head, her fingers digging through his purple locks. Suddenly, she had another idea. "Lie down."

"W-what?"

"Lie down on my lap, silly!" she giggled.

"Um… okay?" He lifted his legs until his feet were resting on the edge of the sofa while he gently laid against her lap. Before he could ask, Joy moved her hands from his scalp to his forehead and began kneading her fingers. Felix moaned under her touch and began to relax, allowing all the negative and anxious vibes to roam free from his mind. "I could get _used_ to this," he sighed.

"I'm glad!" Joy giggled. "Whenever my mom came home with a headache, or any type of aching for that matter, I always offer to massage her. Who needs a masseuse when you have _these_ jazz hands by yours truly?"

"That makes me feel luckier to have you," he groaned back in pleasure, causing her to stifle her flattered tittering. He winced slightly when she pressed his forehead too hard, causing her to apologize softly. Her hands moved back to his scalp, which he enjoyed. It felt so good, he started falling asleep. While she stroked his hair and massaged his scalp, her hands continued to move up until she felt a unique strand curl around her wrist. On that note, Felix gasped and sprung sitting upwards. Joy gasped back in shock and gripped her shorts.

"What did you do?" he quickly asked.

"N-nothing," Joy answered innocently. "I was massaging your scalp and I felt your curl, that's all."

"You weren't ki—you planned this, didn't you?" Felix said with false anger. It was clear to Joy he was oddly amused… and red.

"Hey, I know I said I would feel your curl one day, but this one was accidental. I promise," persuaded Joy. "But now that you brought it up… can I touch it? Please? I like seeing your reactions; they're funny!"

"I'm scared to see how _I'll_ react when _you_ do it," Felix sneered.

"What do you mean?"

"NEVER MIND!" Felix felt like slamming his head against the wall. She's too innocent! His entire face was painted crimson, and he mentally cursed himself for having pale skin. Not even his large hands could hide his face.

"Why are you blushing? Are you that sensitive?" she went on confusedly. However, she was smiling at how cute he was being.

"I'm not! Why are _you_ asking me so many questions?" he obviously lied; his voice was muffled with his hands covering his face.

"I'm confused, that's why!" she laughed back and held his wrists in an attempt to pry his hands off his face. "Come on, where's my shy noodle?"

"He's not here, Joy," he murmured defenselessly.

"Oh really…?" She smirked deviously and stroked his curl.

"BAH!" he yelped, automatically flailing his hands off his face. Joy practically laughed boisterously. He sneered at her, then smirked. "Oh, it's on."

He began tickling her sides, which never failed to startle and amuse her. She wasn't the only one with skilled hands apparently. Joy laughed so hard, tears began escaping her eyes. She even tried swatting her hands, or attempted to tickle him back but failed. Eventually she lost balance and fell back on the couch. She let out a yelp and dragged Felix down until she broke his fall. As he tried to recover from the sudden gesture, and hopefully give Joy a break, he felt her heartbeat ringing in his ears. He slowly lifted himself up and shook his head, then heard her moan in pain. He looked down on her and gasped horridly, then backed away to help her sit up. Joy sat on her knees and hugged herself, panting.

Needless to say, he landed on her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Joy! I didn't mean it, I swear," he cried out with his hands trying to figure out _where_ to comfort her. How on earth could he soothe _that_ pain without touching it?!

"It's not your fault! I-I was being clumsy." It was Joy's turn to stutter. She tried hiding the intense blush on her cheeks and looked away. She felt thankful her chest wasn't big otherwise it would hurt. A lot.

"N-No you weren't! I shouldn't have tickled you so hard. A-are you going to be okay!?" He felt so stupid for asking those questions. He doesn't know what chest pain felt like, other than having a heart attack that is.

"I'll be fine. At least when you're flat, you can recover easier, right?" Joy chuckled.

"T-That's true…" He suddenly felt guilty saying that. She's not like that at all, at least not to him.

"Felix… Can I ask for something stupid?" she asked hesitantly, her cerulean eyes meeting his lavender ones. She slowly inched towards him.

"I'm all about stupid," he commented, obviously lost in her gaze.

"About that kiss—"

"Hoooh boy…" Felix croaked, feeling the heat rise on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let it go!" Joy interjected. "It felt too ecstatic to let go."

"I-I couldn't let it go either… when I'm with you at least," he muttered shyly and looked away for a second. "Do you… want to do that again?" Last time, they were at Desiree and Angus' home, which felt way more awkward. At least they were alone in one of their own homes, but that doesn't make it any less wrong. He suddenly felt the urge to inch closer as well, still always wondering where his sudden confidence is coming from.

"I-I don't know. I f-forgot how it went," she answered honestly. Felix tilted his head slightly and smiled back skeptically, for he remembers every detail.

"Are you sure?" he softly asked almost protectively, his heart beating rapidly. In saying this, he felt the gap slowly closing between them.

"Yes," she breathed.

The two locked lips at that very second. Joy snaked her arms around his neck, while he slid his around her waist. They were both on fire as they pulled each other close to the point where their bodies made contact. She dug her fingers into his hair and found the curl that always sticks out of place. She gently pulled it, causing him to moan into the kiss. He felt himself weaken and felt Joy pull him down with her. He pulled away for a moment.

"W-Wait! I don't want to hurt you again," he protested between breaths.

"You won't," she panted. Before Felix could respond further, Joy kissed him again. This time, she's determined to have dominance over him. He was tired on the other hand, so he let her have her way with him... for now. And even though he didn't want this moment to end, he knew it had to. He imagined all of the worst case scenarios that could happen during the act. He can wait. It's not their time yet. He'll know when to stop.

It was a sight to see for Joy from where she laid. She pictured a moment like this, with Felix on top of her with that affectionate smile. All the pain and sorrow from the past drowning in their passion. She imagined their first time to be exactly like this.

Fortunately that day isn't today.

They were lying atop each other once more on the couch. This new form of kissing was only the beginning, as they have yet to discover more about themselves. Before this, the boldest thing Felix did so far was kiss her neck, but it was only a quick peck. It was when Joy was sick that one time and it was one of the places he kissed since her lips were out of bounds. He suddenly found his hands roaming past her cheeks, pulling away for air then kissing again and again. When his hands slid down her arms, he felt her giggle into the kiss, which he reciprocated. He wasn't going anywhere dangerous, at least not yet. He wanted his fingers to intertwine with hers. However, when his fingers lightly brushed against the side of her waist, Joy squeaked into the kiss lifted her knee in one swift motion.

"AH!" Felix pulled away from Joy to let out a distressed shriek. Joy immediately sat up with her hands over her mouth and her eyes bulging. Felix leaned over, as he was now sitting up on the couch, and had both hands between his legs. Needless to say, she accidentally kicked his nether regions.

"OH! OKAY, I DESERVE THAT. **I DESERVE THAT!"** He wailed helplessly and winced as the pain was unbearable. Tears were already pooling out of his eyes. So that's what it's like to get kicked in the crotch - who knew! At least he could _sort of_ relate to the pain Joy felt earlier.

"Oh my gosh, I am **so sorry!** Are you okay!?" Joy wailed.

"I'm fine... I deserve that," Felix repeated, with his whimpering slowly reducing to a raspy whisper. To make matters worse, he received a phone call, to which he reluctantly answered.

 _"Hey, big bro, where are you? We're already home and you're not here!"_ Sadie bawled.

"Relax, sis, I'm at Joy's place and I'll be home in five minutes- ah... make that ten," Felix grunted, trying to sound as normal as possible.

 _"Are you okay? You sound like someone kicked you where the sun doesn't shine."_

"You don't say," he deadpanned, clearly disgruntled. "Look, I'm fine. I'm still in one piece and I'll be home before you even shed a tear."

 _"I'm already bawling my eyes out over here! I thought you were kidnapped!"_ she wailed on the other end.

"I'm on my way." Felix sighed and hung up before she could respond. He turned to his girlfriend and smiled sadly. "Sorry, Joy, but I gotta go. Are your parents coming home soon? Joy?"

The Starlight looked up at him and faked a smile. "Oh, they're on their way home. I got a text a minute ago. Are you still in pain?"

He shrugged. "A little. I just have to walk it off, that's all."

"I'm so sorry. I tend to react like that since I don't like it when people touch me in different places I never felt. But don't get me wrong, I... I liked what you did," Joy confessed solemnly.

"Don't be sorry; I needed a kick in the pants! I was almost ready to..." he gulped, his face regaining the same heat.

Joy huffed with flattery and crossed her arms shyly.

"What? Can you blame me for being so infatuated with you?" he unwittingly admitted.

"I..." Joy stuttered. The rosy tint on her cheeks were now permanent as she struggled to get the words out, "The feeling's mutual, so I guess not."

"And... can we do something like this again when we're _both_ ready?"

"I don't know... it has been almost five years now," Joy teased.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Honeystar, but we still have a lot to do before we continue where we left off."

"If you say so, Night Light," Joy giggled.

Before Felix could respond, he was once again interrupted by Sadie's spam messaging. He sighed in defeat. "I should really get going."

"Alright. Say hi to Sadie and the family for me!" Joy said, her same old regular self returning.

"I will." The two shared one last kiss before heading the door. When he opened it, he noticed Jay and Jolie at the doorstep, with Jay about to ring the doorbell. They simply stared at them in shock and slight confusion.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jay greeted.

"I was just leaving," Felix blankly said before moving past them.

"What? Oh, come on, we just got here!" Jay exclaimed.

"Thanks, but I really need to go home. It was lovely seeing you two!" Felix called back before making a run across the street and back to his house.

"Hey, chuckle monkey! Did you and Felix have a smashing time together?" Jay laughed.

Joy's lips formed a crooked smile and tried to stifle her laughter. "Did dad drink too much again?" she mused.

"Yeah, it was a dare," Jolie answered. "So, how was-"

"It really was some dare! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be upstairs. Hey, I just made a rhyme!" Jay groggily said before dragging himself to the second floor.

Shaking her head, Jolie averted her gaze back to her daughter's. "So, how is he? Why did he come over?"

"He was having a rough day so he came over. We started getting intimate, but in the end I ended up kicking his nuts by accident."

Jolie winced. "Ow... Why is that?"

Joy fiddled with her fingers and grinned sheepishly. "Let's just say... it's a sign we're both not ready yet."

* * *

 **Joy's parents are surprisingly chill when it comes to this stuff, mostly because they know Felix wouldn't overstep his boundaries at the wrong time. Speak of the nerveling... poor Felix. Someone get him an ice pack or something. This is where their intimacy will come to an end... for now. There will be moments in the future, but until their honeymoon arrives, this will probably have the most moments in a single chapter.**

 **If you spotted a Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs reference as well as a Despicable Me reference, then you get two virtual oreos.**

 **The next chapter will involve the events last Christmas (because it's December, everyone), and future chapters will consist of a sequence of dramatic events such as Sadie's inner turmoil, flashbacks, Angus' badass moments, Desiree's** ** _possible_** **disorder, arguments, deaths, and other possible trigger warnings. This story's a lot darker than I thought it would be, in terms of the violence and dangerous thoughts that is.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all on the next update. Or simply drop a message on my profile if you're bored.**

 **Inspired by the song: Perfect Two by Auburn hence the title!**


	10. Bonus: Holidays

**Hey all! I'm back with… well, it's not the next chapter of the story itself but rather a bonus chapter. It implies the aftermath of some events that will occur in the future but otherwise there won't be any notable spoilers.**

 **CNBW: Poor Felix indeed. Aww thanks! I don't think I can write smut without the support from you guys honestly. :D**

 **Ponystoriesandothers: It can be unsettling I know. XD Galdangit, what's going on in that head of yours mate? I can't xDD Haha, it's all good, bro.**

 **RosesWilt: I miss you dudette! And it is… which is why it can get complicated in future chapters. Screwing someone in the ear though… how even? o . o**

 **HollyAnne1084: I'm glad you can relate to me as well! It's tough to find the right one.**

 **Tripledent: It does seem funny, why else did I add it? Pfft, haha, I've seen situations like that before. And Joy certainly is lucky!**

 **Hollysun123: Aw thank you!**

 **Feel free to read and enjoy this bonus chapter, everyone!**

 **Warning: Implied intimacy**

* * *

 **Holidays**

* * *

New Year's Resolutions

"There is no way I'm going soft next year!" Angus snapped. The man hated New Year. It's just the calendar repeating itself! And what's the point of making a New Year's resolution if nobody does them in the first place?

"Well, can't you at least be _nicer_ to people!?" Desiree argued.

"Niceness is a gift – it can't be given to just anyone you know!" Goodness, he's stubborn!

"Okay, let me rephrase. How about you be a little bit _nicer_ to our friends? Last year, the way you behaved was like a man having their period!"

"What the hell, Des!"

"See? My point exactly. Last month, you ruined Joy's day because your day got ruined. Last week, you threw a chair at Felix during your anger management session. And yesterday, you avoided Sadie all day when she tried to chat with you after a certain somebody indirectly called her fat!" Desiree recalled.

"Alright, fine! I'll try to be.. ugh, nice. But I'm not doing it for free," Angus grumbled.

"Um, you're talking to one of the richest people in the neighbourhood. And furthermore, I'm your wife so I can make you do it without owing you a cent," Desiree retorted confidently.

Angus blushed and shook his head. "That's not what I meant! What I mean is, I'll start being nicer to people, if you stop caring about your weight."

"Please don't bring that up."

"You made me do it. Even after we figured things out, you still complain about your body and it makes me sick! Because none of it is true and you shouldn't worry your pretty little mind on crappy stuff like that," Angus yelled.

Desiree was touched. Any man could tell a girl how they felt about their insecurity complaints, but no one says it better than him.

"Deal."

* * *

Valentine's Day Date

Everyday felt like Valentine's Day for Joy and Felix… except during Valentine's Day. Or so they thought.

It was a long day at work for Felix once again. The entire neighbourhood was mute and the only sources of light came from the sidewalks on every street. He had recently checked his phone for messages after work, and found one in particular from Joy, hinting him about some sort of surprise. Unfortunately, that was four hours ago.

As he entered the house they cohabit in, he hung his trench coat with the faint scent of burnt out candles nearby. He inspected the kitchen, noticing a melted candle on their table, and a baking pan wrapped in tin foil. Knowing how late it was, he stored the dish in the refrigerator and searched for his lover, who was asleep on their bed wearing a dress suitable for their supposed date night. There were burnt out candles on the night stand too. Felix didn't know what he gulped so deeply for: whether it's Joy falling asleep and leaving the candles to potentially burn down the house before itself, or all the intimate moments he could've shared with his wife should he had gotten home early.

He quietly shut the door behind him then proceeded to remove his uniform to get ready for bed. Along the way, he pondered whether to wake Joy up so she could change or simply drape the covers over her if she were that tired. Before he could make up his mind, he heard a shift and moan on the bed.

"You're pretty late… what time is it?" Joy yawned. There were hints of disappointment in her voice, yet she understood why.

"Ten? Look, Joy, I'm very sorry about today. Most of my patients were beneath rock bottom and I couldn't just dismiss them. Not that I blame them, but my schedule got broken due to all the stress. And I can see the effort you made to surprise me today. S-so if there's any way I can make it up to you," Felix stammered. Joy jumped off the bed and sealed his worries in a kiss.

"Felix, relax! You don't have to do anything. I understand how busy you were," she said sweetly.

"I know you understand but that doesn't mean you're happy!"

Joy silenced him again and rested her head on his chest. "Hush and shush, Cuddlemuffin. I'm just glad you came home safely."

"And I'm just glad you didn't set the house on fire with those candles," Felix chuckled. Joy giggled within his arms and relaxed at the sound of his racing heartbeat. "You know, there are still two hours left before Valentine's Day ends. Want to make the best of it?"

Joy lifted her head and grinned. "Please, with you, everyday feels like Valentine's Day."

Felix blushed at this and smiled back. "And you call _me_ a sap."

After the couple continued to banter, Joy escaped the hug and handed Felix something soft. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Felix's eyes widened at the gift presented before him. "It's a cushion," he commented quite frankly. It was what it is. And in the center, it had the word 'Joy' written on it.

"Yup, a heart-shaped cushion! So if I'm not around and you're in desperate need of a hug, use it and pretend it's me."

"Please don't say that 'if' statement. It might kill me." Clearly, he could never get over his father's death, and Joy knew that.

"I'm sorry… if it helps, I worry deeply about your absence as well."

"Thanks. I'll treasure this." The two shared a chaste kiss as Felix rested the cushion on an armchair. "My gift to you is a reservation to this restaurant tomorrow night. Are you in?"

Joy took the card from his hands and gasped. "But, this is expensive! Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Felix shrugged. "I saved enough money for that. And we both talked about wanting to try eating there at some point, so why not?"

Joy clutched her chest in awe. "Felix, I said that half a year ago… you remembered." The couple shared a kiss. Then two; then three, with the third making Felix's knees grow weak as Joy eagerly took over.

"You do know wearing a party dress makes you uncomfortable right?" Felix spoke with observation, not to mention, it would ruin the beauty that complements her if she slept in the thing. Joy smirked and absentmindedly worked her way through the buttons of his shirt... not that minds. After the last three attempts, his confidence seemed to have grown way more than he expected.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Joy teased playfully.

"I'll make up for it." And with that, the couple had the rest of the night all to themselves. The day after, all they had were six hours to spend at home together before going out to dinner.

* * *

April Fool's Day Announcements

"Felix, I'm pregnant," Sadie admitted with authentic excitement. It was at that moment where Felix's mind exploded with rage and confusion.

"Sadie," he spoke calmly before bursting into a fit of anger, "WHEN THE HECK DID THIS HAPPEN!?"

"Yesterday," Sadie answered. Not a pint of remorse was hinted in her voice. "Jon and I did it and we're going to get married tomorrow."

"Jon!? You mean that guy from your favorite band whom you specifically stated he was 'just your friend', _that_ Jon!?"

"I know, isn't it great?" Sadie squealed.

"Are you kidding me!? Why would you give yourself away like that!? The boy's younger than you! And there is no way I'm letting a famous singer commit his life to my younger sister. What if he becomes a drug addict and abuses you? What if he is secretly an alcoholic and drags you out to a nightclub? What if he sold you to-"

"You're overreacting, Felix…" Sadie mumbled.

"I'm not overreacting; I'M PANICKING!" Felix snapped. "Give me your phone."

"Why—"

"JUST GIVE ME THE DANG PHONE, SADIE!" he screamed this time. Unperturbed, Sadie tossed her phone at him. Furious, Felix tapped Jonathan's contact number and awaited a call.

 _Hey dude! Jonathan Jones' epic automated voice speaking. Sorry to say, I'm away for the time being. But if you would like to send me a message, simply answer the door and I'm all ears!_

Before Felix could provoke the younger man, he paused to recall the message once more.

"What did he say?" Sadie asked.

"Well… he's not answering, but what kind of voicemail tells me to answer the door?! This guy's nuts."

"Maybe you should answer the door."

"Maybe YOU should trust this guy less," Felix retorted.

"Just do it. You're getting annoying."

"Don't give me that talk! You are getting an abortion as soon as I get rid of him." Felix snared at her and proceeded to the front door with caution. He took an umbrella with him in case he got showered with something awful. He opened the door and jumped with surprise.

"APRIL FOOLS!" cried out Jonathan.

"You!?" Felix shrieked.

"How are you, Felix? You seem well!" Jonathan greeted with a devious grin.

"Oh, I'm better than well. I'm just peachy- WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"Come on, Felix, did you honestly think I would admit something overwhelming like that so calmly?" Sadie stepped in, laughing.

"S-so, all this time, you were…"

"Yeah! Chill dude. Your sister and I are close but there's no way I would do something like that to her, especially not without your approval."

"Oh! Good… I felt like passing out when Sadie first told me. Good April Fools prank but please… please don't do that again. I need to lie down." Felix slouched and lazily headed to his room.

"I think we took it too far," Sadie whined.

"Nah, he just needs a drink! Let's whip something up for him. For serious this time, aye?" Jonathan suggested with encouragement. Sadie's face lit up with a smile and nodded in agreement.

* * *

Easter Egg Hunt

The Holy Week always ends with Easter, and so it did. After a their visit to the church, the gang went to Mayor Bing Bong's Easter Egg hunt. Sure it was targeted for kids, but even teens and adults are permitted to join!

While Desiree chose to stay out of the fun, everyone else went on their search. Joy and Felix were able to find more eggs than Sadie and Angus. Angus only managed to find a couple, while Sadie found none.

"This is too hard," Sadie whined.

"No, it's frustrating!" Angus snapped. "I'm always supposed to be the one who gets the most eggs! I must be getting old…"

"Easy for you to say," Sadie mumbled. "This is my first Easter Egg hunt after all."

"Wait, it is?" Angus asked.

"Yeah. You and Desiree always held this Easter Egg hunt thing when we were kids and you never invited Felix and I so… I never tried this before."

Angus gulped. He remembered their Freshman year when Desiree upheld the first ever Easter Egg hunt and he would bully Sadie and Felix by telling them they're forbidden to come to the party. "Oh… but, but what about your parents? They could've made their own Easter Egg hunt for you and Felix."

"They never considered it. We always go to church and dad didn't want to fuss over hiding chocolate eggs in unhealthy places," Sadie recalled.

"Ah, Desiree's mom could feel you there. Even she was opposed to hiding eggs in 'contaminated spaces'."

"I think I'll just go hang out with Desiree. I'll ask Felix for some eggs later," Sadie said sadly. Before she could leave, Angus grabbed her wrist.

"Oh no you don't, kid, you're hunting," Angus said sternly.

"Why? I can't find any. The kids probably beat me to it," Sadie said defeatedly.

"If they beat you to it then they shouldn't be here anymore! We still have time to find enough chocolate eggs before they do. We're hunting together. What do you say?" Angus asked.

"Since when did you start thinking like a kid?" Sadie chuckled.

"You know when. Plus, this is my… apology… for trying to keep you and Felix out of our Easter Egg hunts. There's still so much we owe you for after high school."

Sadie smiled warmly and nodded. "Let's do it!"

"That's the spirit!"

After at least half an hour of searching they finally managed to find a dozen chocolate eggs before returning to Bing Bong.

"Wow that's quite a big batch you guys caught there!" Bing Bong exclaimed.

"I couldn't have done it without her help," Angus chuckled, making Sadie blush shyly. "Let's go flaunt these in Joy and Felix's faces," he suggested towards her.

"I thought you'd never ask." And the two went off to share their bragging rights to the married couple.

* * *

Mother's Day & Father's Day Visits

On each of these days, Felix, Sadie and Sam would visit the cemetery to send their prayers to their long deceased loved ones. Sadie would still weep on her father's grave, gently laying a bouquet of blue roses on the tombstone. Sam would kneel beside her and wrap her arms around her daughter. Even Felix honoured Salome like a father he never had, for Sadie's family will always be his own.

It was more difficult for the Nerveling since he had to cope with the loss of his parents. He always wondered what life would be like if his mother was still alive, or how his father would feel becoming a grandfather. All these merciless thoughts clouded his mind whenever he came to visit. Yet, at the same time, every time he visited, he always felt as if he was being watched… and comforted by some force; feeling the gushes of wind responding to the softness in his voice.

He feared a life without them. And before he could accept the fact that he came true, he realized he will never be alone.

Meanwhile, the siblings treated Sam to a cozy restaurant in a serene countryside and spent the night in a simple motel. It wasn't the best, but it was acceptable. Sadie held her mother tight, forever unable to bear the thought of living without her.

* * *

Thanksgiving Memories

All the families gathered around that very evening. Prayers were shared, everyone was wearing semi-formal clothing, and various dishes filled the dinner table. There was nothing like roast turkey, mashed potatoes, steamed fish, vegetables and assorted drinks to brighten the mood and fill the stomach.

Everyone was having a good time. Angus and Andy faced off in another eating competition, leaving Angie to shake her head throughout the night; The Starlight family brought some humor to the table, sharing awful puns and making jokes about turkey; The Greene family served a side order of sophistication, flaunting their manners better than the rest of the families. Sadie and Sam shared melancholic memories with the group, talking about the moments their family spent together even before Salome and Fiona passed away.

And Felix? He simply watched in awe from the end of the table. He never felt lonely knowing his parents are dining with them; nowhere to be seen but always felt within the heart. It was his second Thanksgiving dinner without his parents. If only he had realized that during the first, he was never alone.

* * *

Halloween High School Reunion

Felix hated Halloween. He knew of its origins, its stories, and worst of all: the costumes. Some of them looked mediocre, others looked petrifying. The thought of chewing candy gives him goosebumps so what's the point? Furthermore, tonight was their high school reunion, and the theme of the night was to wear a costume.

"Come out, Felix, I got you this vampire costume. Can you at least try it?" Joy pleaded from outside the closet.

"Nice try, Joy, but vampire costumes are too cliché for a pale scaredy cat like me," she heard Felix murmur from the closet.

"If you don't come out then you won't get to see me in this snazzy witch costume. And this witch needs a vampire, if you know what I mean."

"I can't see the historical accuracy in those words, Joy."

"Don't be such a nerd, Pumpkin, just try it on! Pretty please."

"I'm not falling for your sweet talk, Joy!"

Joy pouted. "Fine! I guess you'd rather date the monster in the closet over your wife. I get it."

"Monster, what monster!?"

"The monster haunting our closet every Halloween. Duh, everyone knows this!"

"NOT ME!" Felix leaped out of the closet and hugged Joy's waist as he fell on his knees.

"Yay, it worked!" Joy squealed.

"I hate you sometimes…"

"Now go try it on! Or would you rather wear a pumpkin costume instead?"

"Fine, give me that!" Felix took the costume and stomped towards the bathroom, before being greeted by a woman with black hair over her pale, bloody face.

"Boo."

"GYAH! I'M NOT GONNA DATE YOU MONSTER-FROM-THE-CLOSET!" Felix shrieked in the manliest voice possible.

"Relax, it's me, doofus," Sadie deadpanned.

"SADIE, YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"No I'm not. This is just makeup."

"Oh… oh thank goodness. Oh I almost fainted for a second there. NOW GET OUT!"

"Sure, sure, Vladimir."

"Did he buy the 'monster in the closet' bit?" Angus stepped in, dressed as a Frankenstein.

"You bet!" Joy answered.

"Yes, called it!"

"Well he needs to hurry up because my makeup is starting to wear off," Desiree nagged, who was wearing a fairy costume.

"You know you could've dressed up like Frankenstein's wife," Angus pointed out.

"Uh, hello? Do you know how many pores can appear after using white foundation on every inch of your face? Yeah, not gonna happen. Plus I'm not going to waste all my efforts on seasons such as this. It's not really my type," Desiree scoffed.

"Alright, I'm dressed. Can we get this over with so I can cry myself to sleep?" Felix complained.

"Sorry, bro, but that's my job," Sadie murmured.

"Okay, but we're gonna be out all night so brace yourself!" Angus exclaimed.

"All night…? I'll never make it," Felix groaned.

"Relax, your witch is here to protect you… bleh, bleh, bleh," Joy giggled.

"Witches don't say 'bleh, bleh, bleh'," Felix retorted.

"You just did, Spoopy," she poked his nose playfully.

"Hold it! Felix, hold still," Desiree yelped.

"Why!? Is there a spider on my back?"

"Ew, no! I'm going to add some makeup to your scare factor of course." Desiree grabbed her emergency makeup back and began to add some finishing touches on Felix's face.

"I never wore makeup before," he muttered nervously.

"That's fine. Let this be your first. And… done! Voila!" Desiree handed him a mirror, to which he jumped after catching sight of his reflection.

"Hey… I look pretty good. Thanks Desiree!" Felix commented.

"So, are you feeling the Halloween spirit?" Joy said before making a series of ghostly sounds.

"Not for a long time, Joy. Not for a long time."

* * *

Christmas Kringle

Christmas Day has arrived and it was time to open the presents… with a twist! While the parents relaxed in the lounge room, the five gathered around in a circle with their friend, Bing Bong as the host of their now annual Kris Kringle. It sounds childish, yet everyone agreed to it.

"I'm glad you're all getting into the Christmas spirit, everyone! Now, I have the ballots in. As I take out the name of a Secret Santa, that Santa must surprise their receiver with a gift from their wishlist!" Bing announced

"This is gonna be good," Joy squealed.

"And our first Secret Santa will be: Angus!"

"Oh, crud."

"So, who did you get?" Bing asked.

The man groaned and took his gift as he rose to his feet. He inched closer and closer until he was in front of Felix. "Here. This is yours I believe."

"You're my Secret Santa?" Felix asked, shocked.

"Don't rub it in and just take it, you ninny! Merry Christmas," Angus answered. Felix smiled and took the box.

"Thanks bro!"

"That was anticlimactic," Desiree deadpanned.

"Really? Because I thought that was adorable!" Joy swooned.

"I guess you're right," agreed Sadie

"I have to agree with Joy there! Thanks for your generosity, Angus," Bing thanked.

"Whatever."

"Moving on! Our next Secret Santa revealed is…" Bing Bong dug into the box and took out another piece of paper. "Joy!"

"Yay!" Joy squealed. She took her rather large present and walked over to Sadie's direction. "This is for you, Sadie!"

Sadie's eyes widened. "It's… big."

"I know! And you're going to love it, I promise. Merry Christmas, Sadie!" Joy replied sweetly. The two shared a brief cuddle before returning to their places. Sadie wiped a tear from her eye and thanked the Starlight genuinely.

"Now that's cute," Desiree chuckled with her arms crossed. Felix nodded in agreement.

"I couldn't agree more!" Bing then reached for the box once again. "Desiree's next!"

"Huh." Instead of standing up, she turned to the side to face Angus.

"Merry Christmas, Brickhead." She grabbed her husband by the collar of his shirt and kissed him passionately before shoving the gift onto his chest. "Here, take it and be grateful!"

"Uh… thanks, Des," Angus answered, feeling slightly dazed from the sudden kiss.

"Whoa, did it just get hot in here or is it just me?" Joy laughed.

"Nope, it's just you," Felix said flirtatiously.

"Can we continue this before I become a ghost?" Sadie complained.

"With pleasure, Sadie!" Bing took out another name. "And speak of the Secret Santa, you're up next, Sadie!"

"Woohoo," Sadie deadpanned. The Teardrop took her small present and scooted over to Desiree. "Merry Christmas, Desiree."

"Aw, Sadie… is this for real?" Desiree sighed.

Sadie cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm pretty sure it is."

"Thank you so much!" Desiree grabbed Sadie and pulled her into a hug, leaving everyone to say 'aw'.

"Oh I'm sorry, Angus, but did you just say 'Aw'?" Felix teased before getting punched harshly on the shoulder.

"SHUT UP, BEANPOLE!"

"And while I'm liking this so far, I'm afraid we'll have to close it early. Felix, show the last person your gift!"

"Pfft, they always save the best for last," Angus huffed.

"Tell me about it," Sadie giggled.

"Merry Christmas, Joy," Felix greeted with a box in his palm. It was a simple greeting no less. Before Joy could thank him, he hushed her in a kiss, albeit much more chaste than Desiree's kiss to Angus earlier.

"Aw, thank you!"

"You two always bring tears to my eyes… Now, open your—"

"Wait, Bing!" Joy interjected.

"What's wrong?" Bing Bong asked, feeling slightly worried.

"Nobody gets to leave my house without a gift… so, we all got you one too!" As Joy said this, everyone brought out their wrapped presents and handed them to the mayor.

"Wait… all this… is for me?"

"Duh, who else?" Desiree chuckled.

"I… I don't know what to say."

"Good," Angus said flatly.

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!" Without warning, Bing Bong grabbed all five of them into a crushing hug. "Merry Christmas, you all!"

"Merry Christmas to you too!" Joy said despite feeling strangled.

"Can't… breathe!" Felix choked.

"Please put us down…" Sadie deadpanned.

"Oh, sorry… hehe." The mayor let them down gently. "Now, it's present opening time!"

Angus was the first to open his present, revealing a brand new jacket from his favorite brand. "No way, these jackets cost a fortune! You're the best, Desiree!"

"I know, that's why I bought it," Desiree huffed while flipping her hair.

Felix opened his gift next, revealing a snazzy new pair of shoes he thought went out of stock. "Angus, where did you get this!?"

"Do you want me to shoot myself?"

Felix grew with worry. "What!? No-"

"Then I'm not telling you!"

"Oh… well, I love it! These are just what I needed. Thank you!"

"Whatever, just don't hug me, bub!"

Sadie was the next to open her present. Before doing so, she felt the softness of the gift and immediately guessed what was inside. After unwrapping it, she realized it was a stuffed T-Rex. "I didn't know giant stuffed dinosaurs were possible to buy! This is one of the best gifts I ever received," she swooned. Her voice sounded dull but it was no doubt she was happy.

"I'm so glad you like it, Sadie!" Joy giggled.

"Like it? I love it!" Sadie rested the dinosaur next to her and threw her arms around Joy.

Desiree unwrapped her gift with ease and inside the bag was a pair of emerald earrings and a friendship necklace. Sadie frowned with disappointment.

"I'm sorry if it's not fancy enough."

"Are you kidding? I love it! The details are so intricate and the color goes perfect with my hair. Thanks, Sadie!" Desiree squealed as she hugged the smaller woman.

"Oh, I can't wait to open my present!" Joy screamed excitedly. She opened the small box, which revealed a bracelet with a star-shaped charm decorated with fifteen-carat gold beads. Felix noticed this and scooted next to her.

"It's a charm bracelet! Do you like it?"

"First you make me a necklace… now you give me a bracelet?" Joy squeaked. "What did I do to deserve you?" Tears pooled out of her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I should be the one asking that question," Felix chuckled. "May I?"

"Please." Obliged, Felix took the bracelet and locked it in place around Joy's wrist.

"Merry Christmas, Joy," he said sweetly. The two shared a few kisses before turning their direction to the mayor.

"Ties? Candy? A new coat? A stuffed elephant? A top hat? You guys got all this stuff for me? I'm sorry for asking the same silly question. I'm just so shocked!" Bing exclaimed.

"They're all yours," Felix laughed.

"Thanks for being a great friend," Sadie mumbled.

"And a great mayor," Desiree added.

"Not to mention a great janitor," Angus continued.

"Merry Christmas, Bing Bong!" Joy finished.

"I couldn't be happier to have met all of you. You helped me make all my dreams come true!" Bing Bong grabbed everyone into another crushing hug once more.

* * *

 **So, what's your favorite? On the side note, it's fun to add minor characters such as Bing Bong and Jordan's emotions.**

 **I'm sorry if this isn't the next chapter. I promised at least a Christmas special and it didn't happen so I decided to write all the seasonal holidays into one chapter. I hope you can spot the Pixar references such as the T-Rex from The Good Dinosaur (and a shout-out to one of my favorite writers: Master T-Rex), and the stuffed elephant… being Bing Bong himself of course. There are other minor movie references if you squint too.**

 **I'm not exactly on the Inside Out hype at the moment. But thanks to HollyAnne1084, a few artworks, and inserting the Inside Out emotions into a game made me inspired to write this.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated. Flames are never appreciated. I'm still trying to recall what to write in the next chapter so until then, stay tuned!**


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